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■ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

SANTA  BARBARA 

COLLEGE  OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 


MR. AND  MRS.R.W.VAUGHAN 


•*\ 


n 


4 


& 


5*- 


V: 


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NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 


I  Author's  Edition] 


New  Arabian  Nights 


ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON 


NEW   YORK 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1895 

\_All  rights  rcscrz>ed~\ 


UNIVERSITY  OP  CALIFORNIA 
0  SANTA  BARJARA  COLLEGE  LIBRAR1 


TO 

ROBERT  ALAN  MOWBRAY  STEVENSON 

IN   GRATEFUL   REMEMBRANCE   OF   THEIR   YOUTH 
AND   THEIR  ALREADY   OLD   AFFECTION 


NOTE. 

I  must  prefix  a  word  of  thanks  to  the  gentleman  who 
condescended  to  borrow  the  gist  of  one  of  my  stories, 
and  even  to  honor  it  with  the  addition  of  his  signature. 
This  mark  of  appreciation  emboldened  me  to  make  the 
present  collection. 

R.  L.  S. 


CONTENTS 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB. 

PAGE 

Story  of  the  Young  Man  with  the  Cream  Tarts  .  3 
Story  of  the  Physician  and  the  Saratoga  Trunk  .  36 
The  Adventure  of  the  Hansom  Cabs      .        .        .        .65 

THE  RAJAHS  DIAMOND. 

Story  of  the  Bandbox 89 

Story  of  the  Young  Man  in  Holy  Orders  .  .  .  116 
Story  of  the  House  with  the  Green  Blinds  .  .  .  133 
The  Adventure  of  Prince  Florizel  and  a  Detective    .  166 

THE  PA  VILION  ON  THE  LINKS. 

CHAPTER 

I.    Tells  How  I  Camped  in  Graden  Sea-wood  and 

BEHELD  A  LIGHT  IN  THE  PAVILION.  .  .  .    177 

II.     Tells   of  the  Nocturnal  Landing  from    the 

Yacht 185 

III.  Tells  how  1  became  acquainted  with  my  Wife  .  192 

IV.  Tells  in  what  ,.  startling  manner   I  learned 

THAI       WAS  NOT  ALONE  IN  GRADEN  SEA-WOOD        .    201 

V.     Tells  of  an   interview   between    Northmour, 

Clara,  and  Myself     .        .         .        ,        .        .210 
VI.    Tells  of  my  Introduction  to  the  T\ll  Man      .  216 


I 

\  1 1        lis:.  11  !•    WAS    «  km  n    i  HROl  «;n    i  in 

r  wii  roN  Window 223 

vin.     Tells  thi  I  ist  of  the  Tall  Man    .       .       .  230 
Tills  how  Northmour  carried  out  his  Threat  .  237 

THE  NIGHT         .        .        .        .245 

THE  SIRE  DE  MALE  TR 01 TS  DOOR      .         .        .271 

VIDENCi  THE  GUITAR.        .        .        .297 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 


STORY  OF    THE  YOUNG    MAN  WITH    THE    CREAM  TARTS. 

DURING  his  residence  in  London,  the  accomplished 
Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia  gained  the  affection 
of  all  classes  by  the  seduction  of  his  manner  and  by  a 
well-considered  generosity.  He  was  a  remarkable 
man  even  by  what  was  known  of  him  ;  and  that  was 
but  a  small  part  of  what  he  actually  did.  Although 
of  a  placid  temper  in  ordinary  circumstances,  and 
accustomed  to  take  the  world  with  as  much  philosophy 
as  any  ploughman,  the  Prince  of  Bohemia  was  not 
without  a  taste  for  ways  of  life  more  adventurous  and 
eccentric  than  that  to  which  he  was  destined  by  his 
birth.  Now  and  then,  when  he  fell  into  a  low  humor, 
when  there  was  no  laughable  play  to  witness  in  any  of 
the  London  theatres,  and  when  the  season  of  the  year 
was  unsuitable  to  those  field  sports  in  which  he 
excelled  all  competitors,  he  would  summon  his  confi- 
dant and  Master  of  the  Horse,  Colonel  Geraldine,  and 
bid  him  prepare  himself  against  an  evening  ramble. 
The  Master  of  the  Horse  was  a  young  officer  of  a 
brave  and  even  temerarious  disposition.  He  greeted 
the  news  with  delight,  and  hastened  to  make  ready. 
Long  practice  and  a  varied  acquaintance  of  life  had 
given  him  a  singular  facility  in  disguise  ;  he  could 
adapt  not  only  his  face  and  bearing,  but  his  voice  and 
almost  his  thoughts,  to  those  of  any  rank,  character,  or 
nation  ;  and  in  this  way  he  diverted  attention  from  the 
Prince,  and  sometimes  gained  admission  for  the  pair 
into  strange  societies.  The  civil  authorities  were 
never  taken  into  the  secret  of  these  adventures  ;  the 
imperturbable  courage  of  the  one  and  the  ready  inven- 
tion and  chivalrous  devotion  of  the  other  had  brought 


4  .'.  i  /;'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

them  through  a  Bcore  of  dangerous  passes  ;  and  they 

in  confidence  as  time  went  on. 
•  evening  in  March  they  were  driven  by  a  sharp 
fall  of  sleet  into  an  >  >ystcr  Bar  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhi  ■  l  i  i'  ester  Square.  Colonel  Geraldine  was 
dressed  ami  painted  to  represent  a  person  connected 
with  the  Press  in  reduced  circumstances;  while  the 
Prince  had,  as  usual,  travestied  his  appearance  by  the 
addition  of  false  whiskers  and  a  pair  of  large  adhesive 
eyebrows.  These  lent  him  a  shaggy  and  weather-beaten 
air,  which,  for  one  of  his  urbanity,  formed  the  most 
impenetrable  disguise.  Thus  equipped,  the  com- 
mander and  his  satellite  sipped  their  brandy  and  soda 
in  security. 

The  bar  was  full  of  guests,  both    male   and   female  ; 

but  though  more  than  one  of  these  offered  to  fall  into 

talk  with    our    adventurers,    none   of    them    promised 

row  interesting  upon  a  nearer  acquaintance.  There 

nothing  present  but  the  lees  of  London  and  the 
commonplace  of  disrespectability  ;  and  the  Prince  had 
already  fallen  to  yawning,  and  was  beginning  to  grow 
weary  of  the  whole  excursion,  when  the  swing  doors 
were  pushed  violently  open,  and  a  young  man,  followed 
by  a  couple  of  commissionaires,  entered  the  bar.  Each 
of  the  commissionaires  carried  a  large  dish  of  cream 

under  a  cover,  which  they  at  once  removed  ;  and 
the  young  man  made  the  round  of  the  company,  and 
these  confections  upon  everyone's  accept- 
ance  with  an  exaggerated  courtesy.  Sometimes  his 
offer  was  laughingly  a<  <  epted  ;  sometimes  it  was  firmly, 
or  even  harshly,  rejected.   In  these  latter  cases  the  ncw- 

r  always  ate  the  tart  himself,  with  some  more  or 
rous  commentary. 
At  last  he  ac<  osted  Prince  Florizel. 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  with  a  profound  obeisance,  proffering 
the  tart  at  the  same  time  between  his  thumb  and  fore- 

r,  "will  you  so  far  honor  an  entire  stranger?  I 
can  answer  for  the  quality  of  the  pastry,  having  eaten 

lozen  and  three  of  them  myself  since  five  oclock." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  5 

"  I  am  in  the  habit,"  replied  the  Prince,  "  of  looking 
not  so  much  to  the  nature  of  a  gift  as  to  the  spirit  in 
which  it  is  offered." 

"The  spirit,  sir,"  returned  the  young  man,  with 
another  bow,  "  is  one  of  mockery." 

"Mockery?"  repeated  Florizel.  "And  whom  do 
you  propose  to  mock  ?  " 

"I  am  not  here  to  expound  my  philosophy,"  replied 
the  other,  "  but  to  distribute  these  cream  tarts.  If  I 
mention  that  I  heartily  include  myself  in  the  ridicule 
of  the  transaction,  I  hope  you  will  consider  honor  sat- 
isfied and  condescend.  If  not,  you  will  constrain  me 
to  eat  my  twenty-eighth,  and  I  own  to  being  weary  of 
the  exercise." 

"You  touch  me,"  said  the  Prince,  "and  I  have  all 
the  will  in  the  world  to  rescue  you  from  this  dilemma, 
but  upon  one  condition.  If  my  friend  and  I  eat  your 
cakes — for  which  we  have  neither  of  us  any  natural 
inclination — we  shall  expect  you  to  join  us  at  supper 
by  way  of  recompense." 

The  young  man  seemed  to  reflect. 

"  I  have  still  several  dozen  upon  hand,"  he  said  at 
last ;  "  and  that  will  make  it  necessary  for  me  to  visit 
several  more  bars  before  my  great  affair  is  concluded. 
This  will  take  some  time  ;  and  if  you  are  hungry — " 

The  Prince  interrupted  him  with  a  polite  gesture. 

"  My  friend  and  I  will  accompany  you,"  he  said  : 
"  for  we  have  already  a  deep  interest  in  your  very 
agreeable  mode  of  passing  an  evening.  And  now  that 
the  preliminaries  of  peace  are  settled,  allow  me  to  sign 
the  treaty  for  both." 

And  the  Prince  swallowed  the  tart  with  the  best 
grace  imaginable. 

"  It  is  delicious,"  said  he. 

"  I  perceive  you  are  a  connoisseur,"  replied  the 
young  man. 

Colonel  Geraldine  likewise  did  honor  to  the  pastry  ; 
ana  every  one  in  that  bar  having  now  either  accepted 
or   refused   his   delicacies,  the   young   man   with  the 


6  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

i  ream  tarts  led  the  way  to  another  and  similar  estab- 
lishment. The  two  commissionaires,  who  seemed  to 
have  grown  accustomed  to  their  absurd  employment, 
followed  immediately  after;  and  the  Prince  and  the 

■  el   brought   up  the   rear,  arm  in  arm,  and  smiling 

U  h  other  as  they  went.      In  this  order  the  company 

visited  two  other  taverns,  where  scenes  were  enacl  d 

like  nature  to  that  already  described — some  rcfus- 
epting,  the  favors  of  this  vagabond  hos- 
pitality,   and    the    young    man   himself    eating    each 
rejected  tart. 

(  >n  leaving  the  third  saloon  the  young  man  counted 
his  stOl  •  I  here  were  hut  nine  remaining,  three  in 
one  tray  and  six  in  the  other. 

"  ( ientlemen,"  said  he,  addressing  himself  to  his  two 
new  followers,  "I  am  unwilling  to  delay  your  supper. 
I  am  positively  sure  you  must  be  hungry.  I  feel 
that  I  owe  you  a  special  consideration.  And  on  this 
great  day  for  me,  when  I  am  closing  a  career  of  folly 
by  my  most  conspicuously  silly  action,  I  wish  to  behave 
handsomely  to  all  who  give  me  countenance.  Gentle- 
man, you  shall  wait  no  longer.  Although  my  consti- 
tution is  shattered  by  previous  excesses,  at  the  risk  of 
my  life  I  liquidate  the  suspensory  condition." 

With  these  words  he  (rushed  the  nine  remaining 
tarts  into  his  mouth,  and  swallowed  them  at  a  single 
movement  each.  Then,  turning  to  the  commissionaires, 
he  gave  them  a  couple  of  sovereigns. 

"I  have  to  thank  you,"  said  he,  "for  your  extra- 
ordinary patience." 

1   he  dismissed   them  with   a  bow    apiece.     For 

seconds  he  stood  lookingat  the  purse  from  which 

he  had  just  paid  his  assistants,  then,  with  a  laugh,  he 

d  it  into  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  signified  his 

readiness  for  supper. 

In  a  small  French  restaurant  in  Soho,  which  had 
enjoyed  an  exaggerated  reputation  for  some  little 
while,  but  had  already  begun  to  be  forgotten,  and  in  a 
private  room  up  two  pair  of  stairs,  the  three  compan- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  * 

ions  made  a  very  elegant  supper,  and  drank  three  or 
four  bottles  of  champagne,  talking  the  while  upon  indif- 
ferent subjects.  The  young  man  was  fluent  and  gay, 
but  he  laughed  louder  than  was  natural  in  a  person  oi 
polite  breeding  ;  his  hands  trembled  violently,  and  his 
voice  took  sudden  and  surprising  inflections,  which 
seemed  to  be  independent  of  his  will.  The  dessert  had 
been  cleared  away,  and  all  three  had  lighted  their  cigars, 
when  the  Prince  addressed  him  in  these  words  : — ■ 

"  You  will,  I  am  sure,  pardon  my  curiosity.  What  I 
have  seen  of  you  has  greatly  pleased  but  even  more 
puzzled  me.  And  though  I  should  be  loth  to  seem 
indiscreet,  I  must  tell  you  that  my  friend  and  I  are 
persons  very  well  worthy  to  be  entrusted  with  a  secret. 
We  have  many  of  our  own,  which  we  are  continually 
revealing  to  improper  ears.  And  if,  as  I  suppose,  your 
story  is  a  silly  one,  you  need  have  no  delicacy  with  us, 
who  are  two  of  the  silliest  men  in  England.  My  name 
is  Godall,  Theophilus  Godall ;  my  friend  is  Major 
Alfred  Hammersmith — or  at  least,  such  is  the  name  by 
which  he  chooses  to  be  known.  We  pass  our  lives 
entirely  in  the  search  for  extravagant  adventures  ;  and 
there  is  no  extravagance  with  which  we  are  not  capable 
of  sympathy." 

"  I  like  you,  Mr.  Godall,"  returned  the  young  man  ; 
"  you  inspire  me  with  a  natural  confidence  ;  and  I 
have  not  the  slightest  objection  to  your  friend,  the 
Major  ;  whom  I  take  to  be  a  nobleman  in  masquerade. 
At  least,  I  am  sure  he  is  no  soldier." 

The  Colonel  smiled  at  this  compliment  to  the  perfec- 
tion of  his  art  ;  and  the  young  man  went  on  in  a  more 
animated  manner. 

"  There  is  every  reason  why  I  should  not  tell  you 
my  story.  Perhaps  that  is  just  the  reason  why  I  am 
going  to  do  so.  At  least,  you  seem  so  well  prepared  to 
hear  a  tale  of  silliness  that  I  cannot  find  it  in  my  heart 
to  disappoint  you.  My  name,  in  spite  of  your  example, 
I  shall  keep  to  myself.  My  age  is  not  essential  to  the 
narrative.      I  am  descended  from   my  ancestors   by 


I  r/rs. 

nd  from   il>>  m   I  inherited  the 
eligible  human  tenement  which  I  still  occupy  and 
rtune  of  three  hundred  poundsa  year.     1  sup] 
they  also  handed  on  to  me  .1  hare-brain  humor,  which 
it  has  be<  n  n  y  <  hii  f  di  light  to  indulge.     I  received  a 
I    (  an    play  the   violin   nearly  well 
enough  to  earn  money  in  the  orchestra  of  a  penny 
.  but  not  quite.     '1  he  same  remark  applies  to  the 
and   the   French   horn.      I   learned   enough   of 
to  lose  about  a  hundred  a  year  at  that  scientific 
game.     My  acquaintance  with  French  w;is  sufficient  to 
enable  me  to  squander  money  in  Paris  with  almost  the 
same  facility  as  in   London.     In  short,  I  am  a  person 
full  of  manly  accomplishments.     I  have  had  every  sort 
of  adventure,  including  a  duel  about  nothing.     Only 
two  months  ago  I  met  a  y<  ung  lady  exactly  suited  to 
my  taste  in  mind  and  body  ;  I  found  my  heart  melt ; 
I       w  that  I  had  come  upon  my  fate  at  last,  and  was  in 
the  way  to  fall  in  love.     But  when  I  came  to  reckon 
up    what    remained   to  me  of   my  capital,   I   found  it 
amounted  to  something  less  than  four  hundred  pounds! 
I  a~k  you  fairly — can  a  man  who  respects  himself  fall 
in  love  on   four  hundred  pounds?     I  concluded,  cer- 
tainly   not;    left    the    presence    of    my    charmer,   and 
slightly   accelerating   my    usual   rate  of   expenditure, 
this  morning  to  my  last  eighty  pounds.     This  I 
divided  into  two  equal  parts;  forty  1   reserved  for  a 
particular  purpo  i  ;  the  remaining  forty  I  was  to  dis- 
sipat  the   night.      1  have   passed  a  very  enter- 

tain :  nd    played   many  farces  besides   that   of 

rts  which   procured  me  the  advantage  of 
;  for  I  was  determim  d,  as  I  told  you, 
r  to  a  still  more  foolish  conclu- 
me  throw  in}-  purse   into  the 
*,   the   forty   pounds  were   at   an   end.      Now  you 
know  me  as  well  as  I  know  myself  :  a  fool  but  consist- 
ent  in  his  folly;   and,  as  I  will  ask   you   to  believe, 
neither  a  whimperer  nor  a  <  oward." 

From  the  whole  tone  of  the  young  man's  statement 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  9 

it  was  plain  that  he  harbored  very  bitter  and  contempt- 
uous thoughts  about  himself.  His  auditors  were  led 
to  imagine  that  his  love  affair  was  nearer  his  heart  than 
he  admitted,  and  that  he  had  a  design  on  his  own  life. 
The  farce  of  the  cream  tarts  began  to  have  very  much 
the  air  of  a  tragedy  in  disguise. 

"Why,  is  this  not  odd,"  broke  out  Geraldine,  giving 
a  look  to  Prince  Florizel,  "  that  we  three  fellows  should 
have  met  by  the  merest  accident  in  so  large  a  wilder- 
ness as  London,  and  should  be  so  nearly  in  the  same 
condition  ?  " 

"  How  ? "  cried  the  young  man.  "  Are  you,  too, 
ruined  ?  Is  this  supper  a  folly  like  my  cream  tarts  ? 
Has  the  devil  brought  three  of  his  own  together  for  a 
last  carouse  ?" 

"  The  devil,  depend  upon  it,  can  sometimes  do  a 
very  gentlemanly  thing,"  returned  Prince  Florizel  ; 
"  and  I  am  so  much  touched  by  this  coincidence,  that, 
although  we  are  not  entirely  in  the  same  case,  I  am 
going  to  put  an  end  to  the  disparity.  Let  your  heroic 
treatment  of  the  last  cream  tarts  be  my  example." 

So  saying,  the  Prince  drew  out  his  purse  and  took 
from  it  a  small  bundle  of  bank-notes. 

"You  see,  I  was  a  week  or  so  behind  you,  but  I 
mean  to  catch  you  up  and  come  neck  and  neck  into 
the  winning-post,"  he  continued.  "This,"  laying  one 
of  the  notes  upon  the  table,  will  suffice  for  the  bill. 
As  for  the  rest " 

He  tossed  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  went  up  the 
chimney  in  a  single  blaze. 

The  young  man  tried  to  catch  his  arm,  but  as  the 
table  was  between  them  his  interference  came  too  late. 

"Unhappy  man,"  he  cried,  "you  should  not  have 
burned  them  all  !     You  should  have  kept  forty  pounds." 

"  Forty  pounds  !  "  repeated  the  Prince.  "  Why,  in 
heaven's  name,  forty  pounds?" 

"  Why  not  eighty  ?  "  cried  the  Colonel  ;  "  for  to  my 
certain  knowledge  there  must  have  been  a  hundred  in 
the  bundle." 


io  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

'It  was  only  forty  pounds  he  needed,"  said  the 
young  man  gloomily.  But  without  them  there  is  no 
admission.  The  rule  is  strict  Forty  pounds  for 
each.  Accursed  life,  where  a  man  cannot  even  die 
without  money  ! " 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel  exchanged  glances. 

Explain  yourself," said  the  latter.     "I  have  still  a 

et-book  tolerably  well  lined,  and  T  need  not  say 

how  readily  I  would  share  my  wealth  with  (iodall.     But 

1  must  know  to  what  end  :  you  must  certainly  tell  us 

what  you  mean." 

The  young  man  seemed  to  awaken  ;  he  looked 
uneasily  from  one  to  the  other,  and  his  face  flushed 
deeply. 

"You  are  not  foolingme?"  lie  asked.  "You  are 
indeed   ruined  men  like  me?" 

"  Indeed,  I  am  for  my  part,"  replied  the  Colonel. 

"  And  for  mine,"  said  the  Prince,"  I  have  given  you 
proof.  Who  but  a  ruined  man  would  throw  his  notes 
into  the  fire?     The  action  speaks  for  itself." 

"A    ruined    man — yes,"    returned    the  other  suspi- 
ly,  "  or  else  a  millionaire." 

"Enough,  sir,"  said  the  Prince;  "I  have  said  so, 
and  I  am  not  accustomed  to  have  my  word  remain  in 

"  Ruined  ?  "  said  the  young  man.  "Are  you  ruined, 
like  me?  Are  you,  after  a  life  of  indulgence,  come 
tD  such  a  pass  that  you  can  only  indulge  yourself  in 
one  thing  more?  Are  you" — he  kept  lowering  his 
voice  as  he  went  on — "are  you  going  to  give  your- 
selves that  last  indulgence  !  Are  you  going  to  avoid 
the  consequences  of  your  folly  by  the  one  infallible 
and  easy  path  ?  Are  you  going  to  give  the  slip  to  the 
sheriff's  officers  of  conscience  by  the  one  open  door?" 
ddenly  he  broke  off  and  attempted  to  laugh. 

"Here  is  your  health!"  he  cried,  emptying  his 
glass,  "  and  good  night  to  you,  my  merry  ruined  men." 

'  ilonel  Oeraldine  caught  him  by  the  arm  as  he  was 
about  to  rise. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  II 

"You  lack  confidence  in  us,"  he  said,  "and  you  are 
wrong.  To  all  your  questions  I  make  answer  in  the 
affirmative.  But  I  am  not  so  timid,  and  can  speak  the 
Queen's  English  plainly.  We  too,  like  yourself,  have 
had  enough  of  life,  and  are  determined  to  die.  Sooner 
or  later,  alone  or  together,  we  meant  to  seek  out  death 
and  beard  him  where  he  lies  ready.  Since  we  have 
met  you,  and  your  case  is  more  pressing,  let  it  be  to- 
night— and  at  once — and,  if  you  will,  all  three  together. 
Such  a  penniless  trio,"  he  cried,  "should  go  arm  in 
arm  into  the  halls  of  Pluto,  and  give  each  other  some 
countenance  among  the  shades  !  " 

Geraldine  had  hit  exactly  on  the  manners  and  into- 
nations that  became  the  part  he  was  playing.  The 
Prince  himself  was  disturbed,  and  looked  over  at  his 
confidant  with  a  shade  of  doubt.  As  for  the  young 
man,  the  flush  came  back  darkly  into  his  cheek,  and 
his  eyes  threw  out  a  spark  of  light. 

"  You  are  the  men  for  me  !  "  he  cried,  with  an 
almost  terrible  gayety.  "Shake  hands  upon  the 'bar- 
gain ! "  (his  hand  was  cold  and  wet.)  "  You  little 
know  in  what  a  company  you  will  begin  the  march  ! 
You  little  know  in  what  a  happy  moment  for  yourselves 
you  partook  of  my  cream  tarts  !  I  am  only  a  unit, 
but  I  am  a  unit  in  an  army.  I  know  Death's  private 
door.  I  am  one  of  his  familiars,  and  can  show  you 
into  eternity  without  ceremony  and  yet  without  scan- 
dal." 

They  called  upon  him  eagerly  to  explain  his  mean- 
ing. 

"  Can  you  muster  eighty  pounds  between  you  ?  "  he 
demanded. 

Geraldine  ostentatiously  consulted  his  pocket-book, 
and  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Fortunate  beings  !  "  cried  the  young  man.  "  Forty 
pounds  is  the  entry  money  of  the  Suicide  Club." 

"The  Suicide  Club,"  said  the  Prince,  "  why,  what 
the  devil  is  that  ?  " 

"  Listen,"  said  the  young  man  ;  "this  is  the  age  of 


\2  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

conveniences,  and  I  have  to  tell  you  of  the  last  per* 
fectionol  We  have  affairs  in  different  places; 

and  hence   railways   were   invented.     Railways  sepa- 
nfallibly  from  our  friends  ;  and  so  telegraphs 
made  that  we  might  communicate  speedily  at 
Even  in  hotels  we  have  lifts  to  spare 
us  a  climb  of  some  hundred   steps.     Now,  we  know 
that  life  is  only  a  play  the  fool  upon  as  long 

as  the  part  amuses  us.  There  was  one  more  conveni- 
ence lacking  to  modern  comfort;  a  decent,  easy  way 
to  '[  tit  that  stage  ;  the  back  stairs  to  liberty  ;  or,  as  I 
said  this  moment,  Death's  private  door.  This,  my 
two  fellow-rebels,  is  supplied  by  the  Suicide  Club. 
Do  not  suppose  that  you  and  I  are  alone,  or  even 
exceptional,  in  the  highly  reasonable  desire  that  we 
profess.  A  large  number  of  our  fellow-men,  who  have 
grown  heartily  sick  of  the  performance  in  which  they 
are  expected  to  join  daily  and  all  their  lives  long,  are 
only  kept  from  (light  by  one  or  two  considerations. 
Some  have  families  who  would  be  shocked,  or  even 
blamed,  if  the  matter  became  public  ;  others  have  a 
weakness  at  heart  and  recoil  from  the  circumstances 
of  death.  That  is,  to  some  extent,  my  own  experi- 
ence.     I  cannot  put  a  pistol  to  my  head  and  draw  the 

>nger  than  myself  withhold-; 

the  act  ;   and  although  I  loathe  life,  I  have  not  strength 

ly  to  take  hold  of  death  and  be  done 

with  it.     For  such  .is  I,  and   for  ;ill  who  desire  to  be 

:  the<  oil  witho  tl  posthumous  scandal,  the  Suicide 

)  his  been  inaugurated.      I  low  this  has  been  man- 

.  what  is  its  history,  or  what  may  be   its  ramifica- 

in   other   lands,    I    am    myself  uninformed  ;  and 

what  I  know  of  its  <  onstitution,  I  am  not  at  liberty  to 

to  you.     To  this  extent,  however,  I  am 

ir  service.     \i  you  are  truly  tired  of  life,  I  will 

introduce  you  to-night  to  a  meeting;  and  if  not  to-night, 

at  least  so         '  within  the  week,  you  will  be  easily 

.    a"  your  existences.      It  is  now  (consulting  his 

watch)  eleven;  by  half-past,  at   latest,  we  must  leave 


THE  SUICIDE  CIUB.  13 

this  place  ;  so  that  you  have  half  an  hour  before  you 
to  consider  my  proposal.  It  is  more  serious  than  a 
cream  tart,"  he  added,  with  a  smile  ;  "and  I  suspect 
more  palatable." 

"  More  serious,  certainly,"  returned  Colonel  Geral- 
dine  ;  "  and  as  it  is  so  much  more  so,  will  you  allow 
me  five  minutes'  speech  in  private  with  my  friend,  Mr. 
Godall  ?  " 

"It  is  only  fair,"  answered  the  young  man.  "If 
you  will  permit,  I  will  retire." 

"  You  will  be  very  obliging,"  said  the  Colonel. 

As  soon  as  the  two  were  alone — "  What,"  said  Prince 
Florizel,  "  is  the  use  of  this  confabulation,  Geraldine  ? 
I  see  you  are  flurried,  whereas  my  mind  is  very  tran- 
quilly made  up.     I  will  see  the  end  of  this." 

"Your  Highness,"  said  the  Colonel  turning  pale; 
"let  me  ask  you  to  consider  the  importance  of  your 
life,  not  only  to  your  friends,  but  to  the  public  interest. 
'  If  not  to-night,'  said  this  madman  ;  but  supposing 
that  to-night  some  irreparable  disaster  were  to  over- 
take your  Highness's  person,  what,  let  me  ask  you, 
what  would  be  my  despair,  and  what  the  concern  and 
disaster  of  a  great  nation  ?  " 

"  I  will  see  the  end  of  this,"  repeated  the  Prince  in 
his  most  deliberate  tones  ;  "  and  have  the  kindness, 
Colonel  Geraldine,  to  remember  and  respect  your 
word  of  honor  as  a  gentleman.  Under  no  circum- 
stances, recollect,  nor  without  my  special  authority, 
are  you  to  betray  the  incognito  under  which  I  choose 
to  go  abroad.  These  were  my  commands,  which  I 
now  reiterate.  And  now,"  he  added,  "  let  me  ask 
you  to  call  for  the  bill." 

Colonel  Geraldine  bowed  in  submission  ;  but  he  had 
a  very  white  face  as  he  summoned  the  young  man  of 
the  cream  tarts,  and  issued  his  directions  to  the  waiter. 
The  Prince  preserved  his  undisturbed  demeanor,  and 
described  a  Palais  Royal  farce  to  the  young  suicide 
with  great  humor  and  gusto.  He  avoided  the  Col- 
onel's appealing  looks  without  ostentation,  and  selected 


i  j  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

another  cheroot  with  more  than  usual  rare.     Indeed, 

he  was   now  the    only  man  of  the  party  who   kept   any 
land  over  his  nei  \ 

■  bill  wasdisi  harged,  the  Prince  giving  the  whole 
change  of  the  note  to  the  astonished  waiter ;  and  the 
three  drove  off  in  a  four  whe  ler.  They  were  not  long 
upon  the  way  before  the  i  ab  stopped  at  the  entrance 
i  k  court  1  [ere  all  descended, 
ter  Geraldine  had  paid  the  fare,  the  young  man 
turn*  Idressed  Prince  Florizel  as  follows: 

"  It  is  still  time,  Mr.  Godall,  to  make  good  your 
escape  into  thralldom.  And  for  you  too,  Major  Ham- 
mersmith. Reflect  well  before  you  take  another 
step  ;  and  if  your  hearts  say  no — here  are  the  cross- 
." 
"Lead  on,  sir,"  said  the  Prince.  "I  am  not  the 
man  to  go  back  from  a  thing  once  said." 

ilness  does  me  good,"  replied  their  guide. 
"I  have  never  seen  anyone  so  unmoved  at  this  con- 
juncture; and  yet  you  are  not  the  first  whom  I  have 
rted  to  this  door.  More  than  one  of  my  friends 
has  preceded  me,  where  I  knew  I  must  shortly  follow. 
But  this  is  of  no  interest  to  you.  Wait  me  here  for 
only  a  few  moments;  1  shall  return  as  soon  as  I  have 
arranged  the  preliminaries  of  your  introduction." 

And  with  that  the   young  man,  waving  his  hand  to 
his  (  ompanions,  turned  into  the  court,  entered  a  door- 
nd  disappeared. 

II  our  follies,"  said  Colonel  Geraldine  in  a  low 
,  ''this  is  the  wildest  and  most  dangerous." 
rfectly  believe  so,"  returned  the  Prince. 
"We  have  still,"  pursued  the  Colonel,  "a  moment 
Let  me  beseech  your  Highness  to  profit 
by  the  opportunity  and  retire.     The  consequences  of 
this  irk,  and  may  be  so  grave,  that  I   feel 

myself  justified  in  pushing  a  little  farther  than  usual 
the  liberty  which  your  Highness  is  so  condescending 
as  to  allow  me  in  private." 

u  Am   I   to   understand    that    Colonel    Geraldine   is 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  1 5 

afraid  ? "  asked  his  Highness,  taking  his  cheroot  from 
his  lips,  and  looking  keenly  into  the  other's  face. 

"  My  fear  is  certainly  not  personal,"  replied  the  other 
proudly;  "  of  that  your  highness  may  rest  well  assured." 

"  I  had  supposed  as  much,"  returned  the  Prince, 
with  undisturbed  good  humor;  "but  I  was  unwilling 
to  remind  you  of  the  difference  in  our  stations.  No 
more — no  more,"  he  added,  seeing  Geraldine  about  to 
apologize,  "you  stand  excused." 

And  he  smoked  placidly,  leaning  against  a  railing, 
until  the  young  man  returned. 

"Well,"  he  asked,  "has  our  reception  been  ar- 
ranged ? " 

"  Follow  me,"  was  the  reply.  "  The  President  will 
see  you  in  the  cabinet.  And  let  me  warn  you  to  be 
frank  in  your  answers.  I  have  stood  your  guarantee; 
but  the  club  requires  a  searching  inquiry  before  admis- 
sion ;  for  the  indiscretion  of  a  single  member  would 
lead  to  the  dispersion  of  the  whole  society  forever." 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  put  their  heads  together 
for  a  moment.  "  Bear  me  out  in  this,"  said  the  one  ; 
and  "  bear  me  out  in  that,"  said  the  other  ;  and  by 
boldly  taking  up  the  characters  of  men  with  whom 
both  were  acquainted,  they  had  come  to  an  agreement 
in  a  twinkling,  and  were  ready  to  follow  their  guide 
into  the  President's  cabinet. 

There  were  no  formidable  obstacles  to  pass.  The 
outer  door  stood  open  ;  the  door  of  the  cabinet  was 
ajar  ;  and  there,  in  a  small  but  very  high  apartment, 
the  young  man  left  them  once  more. 

"He  will  be  here  immediately,"  he  said  with  a  nod, 
as  he  disappeared. 

Voices  were  audible  in  the  cabinet  through  the  fold- 
ing doors  which  formed  one  end  ;  and  now  and  then 
the  noise  of  a  champagne  cork,  followed  by  a  burst  of 
laughter,  intervened  among  the  sounds  of  conversation. 
A  single  tall  window  looked  out  upon  the  river  and  the 
embankment  ,  and  by  the  disposition  of  the  lights  they 
judged  themselves  not  far  from  Charing  Cross  station. 


16  fTS, 

The  furniture  was  scanty,  and  the  coverings  worn  to 
the  thread;  and  there  was  nothing  movable  except  a 
hand-bell  in  the  centre  of  a  round  tabic,  and  the  hats 

and  coats  of  a  considerable  party  hung  round  the  wall 
on  i 

Whal  den  is  this?"  said  Geraldine. 

"That  is  what  I  have  conic  to  sec,"  replied  the 
Prim  c.  "  [f  they  keep  live  devils  on  the  premises,  the 
thing  may  grow  amusing." 

Just  then  the  folding  door  was  opened  no  more  than 
sary  for  the  passage  of  a  human  body  ;  and 
there  entered  at  the  same  moment  a  louder  buzz  of 
talk,  and  the  redoubtable  President  of  the  Suicide 
Club.  The  President  was  a  man  of  fifty  or  upwards  ; 
•  and  rambling  in  his  gait,  with  shaggy  side- 
whiskers,  a  bald  top  to  his  head,  and  a  veiled  gray  eye, 
which  now  and  then  emitted  a  twinkle.  His  mouth, 
which  embraced  a  large  cigar,  he  kept  continually 
\  ing  round  and  round  and  from  side  to  side,  as  he 
look'  ously  and  coldly  at   the  strangers.     He 

was  dressed  in  light  tweeds,  with  his  neck  very  open, 
in  a  striped  shirt  collar  ;  and  carried  a  minute  book 
under  one  arm. 

"  Good  evening,"  said  he,  after  he  had  closed  the  door 
behind  him.     "I  am  told  you  wish  to  speak  with  me." 

"  We  have  a  desire,  sir,  to  join  the  Suicide  Club," 
replied  the  Colonel. 

The  President  rolled  his  cigar  about  in  his  mouth. 

"What  is  that?"  he  said  abruptly. 

"  Pardon  me,"  returned  the  Colonel,  "but  I  believe 
you  are  the  person  best  qualified  to  give  us  information 
on  that  point." 

"I?"  cried  the  President.  "A  Suicide  Club? 
Come,  come  !  this  is  a  frolic  for  All  Fools'  Day.  I  can 
make  allowances  for  gentlemen  who  get  merry  in  their 
liquor  ;  but  let  there  be  an  end  to  this." 

"  Call  your  Club  what  you  will,"  said  the  Colonel, 
"  you  have  some  company  behind  these  doors,  and  we 
t  on  joining  it." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  1 7 

"Sir,"  returned  the  President,  curtly,  "  you  have 
made  a  mistake.  This  is  a  private  house,  and  you 
must  leave  it  instantly." 

The  Prince  had  remained  quietly  in  his  seat  through- 
out this  little  colloquy;  but  now,  when  the  Colonel 
looked  over  to  him,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Take  your 
answer  and  come  away,  for  God's  sake!  "  he  drew  his 
cheroot  from  his  mouth,  and  spoke — 

"  I  have  come  here,"  said  he,  "  upon  the  invitation 
of  a  friend  of  yours.  He  has  doubtless  informed  you 
of  my  intention  in  thus  intruding  on  your  party.  Let 
me  remind  you  that  a  person  in  my  circumstances  has 
exceedingly  little  to  bind  him,  and  is  not  at  all  likely 
to  tolerate  much  rudeness.  I  am  a  very  quiet  man,  as 
a  usual  thing;  but,  my  dear  sir,  you  are  either  going  to 
oblige  me  in  the  little  matter  of  which  you  are  aware, 
or  you  shall  very  bitterly  repent  that  you  ever  admitted 
me  to  your  ante-chamber." 

The  President  laughed  aloud. 

"That  is  the  way  to  speak,"  said  he.  'You  are  a 
man  who  is  a  man.  You  know  the  way  to  my  heart, 
and  can  do  what  you  like  with  me.  Will  you,"  he 
continued,  addressing  Geraldine,  "  will  you  step  aside 
for  a  few  minutes?  I  shall  finish  first  with  your  com- 
panion, and  some  of  the  club's  formalities  require  to 
be  fulfilled  in  private." 

With  these  words  he  opened  the  door  of  a  small 
closet,  into  which  he  shut  the  Colonel. 

"I  believe  in  you,"  he  said  to  Florizel,  as  soon  as 
they  were  alone;  "but  are  you  sure  of  your  friend  ?" 

"  Not  so  sure  as  I  am  of  myself,  though  he  has  more 
cogent  reasons,"  answered  Florizel,  "  but  sure  enough 
to  bring  him  here  without  alarm.  He  has  had  enough 
to  cure  the  most  tenacious  man  of  life.  He  was  cash- 
iered the  other  day  for  cheating  at  cards." 

"  A  good  reason,  I  daresay,"  replied  the  President: 
"  at  least,  we  have  another  in  the  same  case,  and  I  feel 
sure  of  him.  Have  you  also  been  in  the  Service,  may 
I  ask  ? " 


iS  ABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"I  have,"  v.  '  ply;  "but  1  was  too  lazy,  I  left 

it  early." 

"What  i-;  your  reason  for  being  tired  of  life?"  pur- 
sued the  President 

"  The  same,  as  near  as  I  ran  make  out,"  answered 
the  Prince;  "unadulterated  laziness." 

The  President  started.     "  D n  it,"  said  he,  "  you 

must  have  something  letter  than  that." 

'"  I  have  no  more  money,"  added  Florizel.  "  That  is 
also  a  vexation,  without  doubt.  It  brings  my  sense  of 
idleness  to  an  acute  point." 

The  President  rolled  his  cigar  round  in  his  mouth 
for  some  seconds,  directing  his  gaze  straight  into  the 
of  this  unusual  neophyte;  but  the  Prince  sup- 
ported his  scrutiny  with  unabashed  good  temper. 

"  If  I  had  not  a  deal  of  experience,"  said  the  Presi- 
dent at  last,  "  I  should  turn  you  off.  But  I  know  the 
world;  and  this  much  any  way,  that  the  most  frivolous 
excuses  for  a  suicide  are  often  the  toughest  to  stand 
by.  And  when  I  downright  like  a  man,  as  I  do  you, 
sir,  I  would  rather  strain  the  regulation  than  deny  him.'' 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel,  one  after  the  other, 
were  subjected  to  a  lung  and  [.articular  interrogatory: 
the  Prince  alone;  but  Geraldine  in  the  presence  of  the 
Prince,  so  that  the  President  might  observe  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  one  while  the  other  was  being  warmly 
cross-examined.  The  result  was  satisfactory;  and  the 
dent,  after  having  booked  a  few  details  of  each 
case,  produced  a  form  of  oath  to  be  accepted.  Nothing 
could  be  conceived  more  passive  than  the  obedience 
promised,  or  more  stringent  than  the  terms  by  which 
the  juror  bound  himself.  The  man  who  forfeited  a 
i  awftd  could  scarcely  have  a  rag  of  honor  or 
any  of  the  consolations  of  religion  left  to  him.  Flori- 
zel signed  the  document,  but  not  without  a  shudder; 
the  Colonel  followed  his  example  with  an  air  of  great 
depression.  Then  the  President  received  the  entry 
money;  and  without  more  ado,  introduced  the  two 
friends  into  the  smoking-room  of  the  Suicide  Club. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  19 

The  smoking-room  of  the  Suicide  Club  was  the 
same  height  as  the  cabinet  into  which  it  opened,  but 
much  larger,  and  papered  from  top  to  bottom  with  an 
imitation  of  oak  wainscot.  A  large  and  cheerful  fire 
and  a  number  of  gas-jets  illuminated  the  company. 
The  Prince  and  his  follower  made  the  number  up  to 
eighteen.  Most  of  the  party  were  smoking,  and  drink- 
ing champagne;  a  feverish  hilarity  reigned,  with  sudden 
and  rather  ghastly  pauses. 

"Is  this  a  full  meeting?  "  asked  the  Prince. 

"  Middling,"  said  the  President.  "  By  the  way,"  he 
added,  "if  you  have  any  money,  it  is  usual  to  offer 
some  champagne.  It  keeps  up  a  good  spirit,  and  is 
one  of  my  own  little  perquisites." 

"  Hammersmith,"  said  Florizel,  "  I  may  leave  the 
champagne  to  you." 

And  with  that  he  turned  away  and  began  to  go 
round  among  the  guests.  Accustomed  to  play  the  host 
in  the  highest  circles,  he  charmed  and  dominated  all 
whom  he  approached  ;  there  was  something  at  once 
winning  and  authoritative  in  his  address  ;  and  his 
extraordinary  coolness  gave  him  yet  another  distinc- 
tion in  this  half  maniacal  society.  As  he  went  from 
one  to  another  he  kept  both  his  eyes  and  ears  open, 
and  soon  began  to  gain  a  general  idea  of  the  people 
among  whom  he  found  himself.  As  in  all  other  places 
of  resort,  one  type  predominated  :  people  in  the  prime 
of  youth,  with  every  show  of  intelligence  and  sensibil- 
ity in  their  appearance,  but  with  little  promise  of 
strength  or  the  quality  that  makes  success.  Few  were 
much  above  thirty,  and  not  a  few  were  still  in  their 
teens.  They  stood,  leaning  on  tallies  and  shifting  on 
their  feet  ;  sometimes  they  smoked  extraordinarily 
fast,  and  sometimes  they  let  their  cigars  go  out  ;  some 
talked  well,  but  the  conversation  of  others  was  plainly 
the  result  of  nervous  tension,  and  was  equally  without 
wit  or  purport.  As  each  new  bottle  of  champagne  was 
opened,  there  was  a  manifest  improvement  in  gaiety. 
Only  two  were  seated — one  in  a  chair  in  the  recess  of 


20  V  ARAB/AN  NIGHTS. 

the  window,  with  li is  head  hanging   and   his  hands 
plunged  deep  into  his  trouser  pockets,  pale,  visibly 
I  with  perspiration,  saying  never  a  word,  a  very 
'.  of  -"ul  and  body;  the  other  sat  on  the  divan 
by  tl     chin      y,  and  attracted  notice  by  a  trench- 
ant dissimilarity  from  all  the  rest.     He  was  probably 
:    rty,  but  he  looked  fully  ten  years  older  ; 
and  Florizel  thought  he  had  never  seen  a  man  more 
naturally  hideous,  nor  one   more   ravaged   by  disease 
and  ruinous  e\<  itements.     He  was  no  more  than  skin 
and  hone,  was  partly  paralyzed,  and  wore  spectacles 
of  such  unusual  power,  that  his  eyes  appeared  through 
the  -  reatly  magnified    and   distorted  in  shape. 

pt  the  Prince  and  the  President,  he  was  the  only 
n  in  the  room  who  preserved  the  composure  of 
ordinary  life. 

There  was  little  decency  among  the  members  of  the 
club.     Some  boasted   of  the  disgraceful   actions,  the 
consequences  of   which   had    reduced    them    to    seek 
refuge  in  death  ;  and  the  others  listened  without  dis- 
approval.    There  was  a  tacit   understanding  against 
'.  judgments  ;  and  whoever  passed  the  club  doors 
enjoyed  already  some  of  the  immunities  of  the  tomb. 
They  drank  to  each  other's  memories,  and  to  those  of 
notable  suicides  in   the  past.      They  compared    and 
developed  their  different  views  of  death — some  declar- 
that  it  was  no  more  than  blackness  and  cessation  ; 
r-,  full  of  a  hope  that  that  very  night  they  should 
1         aling  the  stars   and  commercing  with  the  mighty 
dead. 

14  To  the  eternal  memory  of  Baron  Trenck,  the  type 
'.  "   (  ricd  one.     "  He  went   out   of   a   small 
into  a  :  mailer,  that  he  might  come  forth  again  to 
: 

"For  my  part,"  said  a  second,   "I   wish   no  more 

:  a  bandage  for  my  eyes  and  cotton  for  my  ears. 

ave    no    cotton    thick    enough    in    this 

'." 

A  third   was   for   reading   the   mysteries  of  life  in  a 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  21 

future  state  ;  and  a  fourth  professed  that  he  would 
never  have  joined  the  club,  if  he  had  not  been  induced 
to  believe  in  Mr.  Darwin. 

"  I  could  not  bear,"  said  this  remarkable  suicide, 
"  to  be  descended  from  an  ape." 

Altogether,  the  Prince  was  disappointed  by  the  bear- 
ing and  conversation  of  the  members. 

"  It  does  not  seem  to  me,"  he  thought,  "a  matter  for 
so  much  disturbance.  If  a  man  has  made  up  his  mind 
to  kill  himself,  let  him  do  it,  in  God's  name,  like  a 
gentleman.     This  flutter  and  big  talk  is  out  of  place." 

In  the  meanwhile  Colonel  Geraldine  was  a  prey  to 
the  blackest  apprehensions  ;  the  club  and  its  rules 
were  still  a  mystery,  and  he  looked  round  the  room  for 
some  one  who  should  be  able  to  set  his  mind  at  rest. 
In  this  survey  his  eye  lighted  on  the  paralytic  person 
with  the  strong  spectacles  ;  and  seeing  him  so  exceed- 
ingly tranquil,  he  besought  the  President,  who  was 
going  in  and  out  of  the  room  under  a  pressure  of  busi- 
ness, to  present  him  to  the  gentleman  on  the  divan. 

The  functionary  explained  the  needlessness  of  all 
such  formalities  within  the  club,  but  nevertheless  pre- 
sented Mr.  Hammersmith  to  Mr.  Malthus. 

Mr.  Malthus  looked  at  the  Colonel  curiously,  and 
then  requested  him  to  take  a  seat  upon  his  right. 

"  You  are  a  new  comer,"  he  said,  "  and  wish  infor- 
mation ?  You  have  come  to  the  proper  source.  It  is 
two  years  since  I  first  visited  this  charming  club." 

The  Colonel  breathed  again.  If  Mr.  Malthus  had 
frequented  the  place  for  two  years  there  could  be  lit- 
tle danger  for  the  Prince  in  a  single  evening.  But 
Geraldine  was  none  the  less  astonished,  and  began  to 
suspect  a  mystification. 

"What!"  cried  he,  "two  years!  I  thought — but 
indeed  I  see  I  have  been  made  the  subject  of  a  pleas- 
antry." 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  Mr.  Malthus  mildly.  "  My 
case  is  peculiar.  I  am  not,  properly  speaking,  a  sui- 
cide at  all;  but,  as  it  were,  an  honorary  member.     I 


W  ARABIAN  XI CUTS. 

rarely  visit  the  club  twice  in  two  months.     My  infir- 
mity and  the  kindness  of  the  President  hive  procured 
me  these  little  immunities,  for  whit  h  besides   I   pay  at 
dvanced   i  ite.     Even  as  it  is  my  luck  has  been 
rdinary." 
"1  am  afraid,"  said  the  Colonel,  "that  I  must  ask 
you  to  be  more  explicit.     You  must  remember  that  I 
till  most  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  rules  of 
the  club." 

"  An  ordinary  member  who  <  omes  here  in  search  of 
death  like  yourself,"  replied  the  paralytic,  "returns 
tvery  evening  until  fortune  favors  him.  1  [e  can,  even  if 
he  is  penniless,  get  board  and  lodging  from  the  Presi- 
dent: very  fair,  1  believe,  and  <  kan,  although, of  course, 
not  luxurious;  that  could  hardly  be,  considering  the 
lity  (if  I  may  so  express  myself)  of  the  subscrip- 
tion. And  then  the  President's  company  is  a  delicacy 
in  itself." 

"  Indeed  !  "    cried  Gcraldine,  "  he  had  not  greatly 

ssessed  me." 
"Ah!"  said  Mr.  Malthus,  "you  do  not  know  the 
man:  the  drollest  fellow  !  What  stories  !  What  cyn- 
icism !  He  knows  life  to  admiration  and,  between 
ourselves,  is  probably  the  most  corrupt  rogue  in  Christ- 
endom." 

"And  he  also,"  asked  the  Colonel,  "is  a  perma- 
nency— like  yourself,  if  I  may  say  so  without  offence?" 
"  Indeed,  he  is  a  permanency   in   a  very  different 
from  me,"  replied  Mr.  Malthus.     "I  have  been 
iusly   spared,    but    I    must   go  at  last.      Now    he 
;    plays.      He  shuffles  and  deals  for  the  club,  and 
makes    the    ne<  essary  arrangements.      That    man,   my 
dear  Mr.  Hammersmith,  is  the  very  soul  of  ingenuity. 
1  or  three  years  he  has  pursued   in   London  his  useful 
and,  I  think  1  i.  his  artistic  calling;  and  not  so 

much  a.  a  whisper  of  suspicion  has  been  once  aroused. 
I  believe  him  myself  to  be   inspired.     You  doubtless 
:nber  the  celebrated  ease,  six  months  ago,  of  the 
gentleman  who  was  accidentally  poisoned  in  a  chemist's 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  23 

shop  ?  That  was  one  of  the  least  rich,  one  of  the  least 
racy,  of  his  notions;  but  then,  how  simple  !  and  how 
safe  !  " 

"You  astound  me,"  said  the  Colonel.     "Was  that 

unfortunate  gentleman  one  of  the "     He  was  about 

to  say  "victims;"  but  bethinking  himself  in  time,  he 
substituted — "  members  of  the  club  ?  " 

In  the  same  flash  of  thought,  it  occurred  to  him  that 
Mr.  Malthus  himself  had  not  at  all  spoken  in  the  tone 
of  one  who  is  in  love  with  death;  and  he  added  hur- 
riedly: 

"  But  I  perceive  I  am  still  in  the  dark.  You  speak 
of  shuffling  and  dealing;  pray  for  what  end  ?  And 
since  you  seem  rather  unwilling  to  die  than  otherwise, 
I  must  own  that  I  cannot  conceive  what  brings  you 
here  at  all." 

"You  say  truly  that  you  are  in  the  dark,"  replied 
Mr.  Malthus  with  more  animation.  "  Why,  my  dear 
sir,  this  club  is  the  temple  of  intoxication.  If  my 
enfeebled  health  could  support  the  excitement  more 
often,  you  may  depend  upon  it  I  should  be  more  often 
here.  It  requires  all  the  sense  of  duty  engendered  by 
a  long  habit  of  ill-health  and  careful  regimen,  to  keep 
me  from  excess  in  this,  which  is,  I  may  say,  my  last 
dissipation.  I  have  tried  them  all,  sir,"  he  went  on, 
laying  his  hand  on  Geraldine's  arm,  "  all  without 
exception,  and  I  declare  to  you,  upon  my  honor,  there 
is  not  one  of  them  that  has  not  been  grossly  and 
untruthfully  overrated.  People  trifle  with  love.  Now, 
I  deny  that  love  is  a  strong  passion.  Fear  is  the 
strong  passion;  it  is  with  fear  that  you  must  trifle,  if 
you  wish  to  taste  the  intense  joys  of  living.  Envy 
me — envy  me,  sir,"  he  added  with  a  chuckle,  "  I  am  a 
coward  !  " 

Geraldine  could  scarcely  repress  a  movement  of 
repulsion  for  this  deplorable  wretch;  but  he  com- 
manded himself  with  an  effort,  and  continued  his 
inquiries. 

"  How,   sir,"  he  asked,  "  is  the  excitement  so  art- 


NEW  !  V  NIGHTS. 

fully  d?  and  where  is  there   any  clement  of 

"  1  must  tell  you  how  the  victim  I  evening 

Mr.  Mai  thus;  "and  not  only  the 

victim,  b  ■  i'.  who  is  to  be  the  instru- 

death's  high  priest  for 

said    the    Colonel,  "do  they  then 

"Thetroubl  ide  is  removed  in  that  way," 

•  acd  Malthus  with  a  nod. 
"Merciful  Heavens!"  ited  the  G  'and 

may  you — may  I — may  the — my  friend,  I  mean — may 
any  of  us  be  pitch  this  evening  as  the  slayer  of 

another    man's   body  and  immortal   spirit?     C 
thing  mg  men  born  of  women?     Oh! 

ly  of  infamie 
He  it  to  rise  in  his  horror,  when   he   caught 

the  Pi  ixed  upon  him  from  across 

the  room  with  a  frowning  and  angry  stare.     And  in  a 
t  G  ire. 

"*  After  all,"  he  added,  "  why  not  ?  And  since  you 
say  the  game  is  interesting,  voglie  la  gallre — I  follow 
the  club  !  " 

Mr.    Malthus    had     keenly    enjoyed     the     I 
amazement  and  disgust.     He  had  the  vanity  of  wick- 
edness; and    it    pleased   him   to    see  another  man   give 
rous  movement,  while  he  felt  himself,  in 
rior  to  su<  h  emotions. 
"  You    now,  afti  ment  of  surpri     ." 

lights 

i<  iety.     \  how   it   i  ombines  the 

•  ible,  a  duel,  ;  »man 

i  .  did  well  enough;   I  i  ordi- 

ally  admire  the  refinement   of  their  minds;   but   it  has 

1   for   a   Christian   country  to  attain  this 

exti  .  this  absolute  of  poignancy. 

i        will  understand  how  vapid  are  all  amusements  to 

a  man   who  lias  acquired  a  taste  for  this  one.     The 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  25 

game  we  play,"  he  continued,  "  is  one  ot  extreme 
simplicity.  A  full  pack — but  I  perceive  you  are  about 
to  see  the  thing  in  progress.  Will  you  lend  me  the 
help  of  your  arm  ?     I  am  unfortunately  paralyzed." 

Indeed,  just  as  Mr.  Malthus  was  beginning  his 
description,  another  pair  of  folding-doors  was  thrown 
open,  and  the  whole  club  began  to  pass,  not  without 
some  hurry,  into  the  adjoining  room.  It  was  similar 
in  every  respect  to  the  one  from  which  it  was  entered, 
but  somewhat  differently  furnished.  The  centre  was 
occupied  by  a  long  green  table,  at  which  the  President 
sat  shuffling  a  pack  of  cards  with  great  particularity. 
Even  with  the  stick  and  the  Colonel's  arm,  Mr.  Malthus 
walked  with  so  much  difficulty  that  everyone  was 
seated  before  this  pair  and  the  Prince,  who  had  waited 
for  them,  entered  the  apartment;  and,  in  consequence, 
the  three  took  seats  close  together  at  the  lower  end  of 
the  board. 

"  It  is  a  pack  of  fifty-two,"  whispered  Mr.  Malthus. 
"  Watch  for  the  ace  of  spades,  which  is  the  sign  of 
death,  and  the  ace  of  clubs,  which  designates  the  offi- 
cial of  the  night.  Happy,  happy  young  men  !  "  he 
added.  "  You  have  good  eyes,  and  can  follow  the 
game.  Alas  !  I  cannot  tell  an  ace  from  a  deuce  across 
the  table." 

And  he  proceeded  to  equip  himself  with  a  second 
pair  of  spectacles. 

"  I  must  at  least  watch  the  faces,"  he  explained. 

The  Colonel  rapidly  informed  his  friend  of  all  that 
he  had  learned  from  the  honorary  member,  and  of  the 
horrible  alternative  that  lay  before  them.  The  Prince 
was  conscious  of  a  deadly  (lull  and  a  contraction  about 
his  heart;  he  swallowed  with  difficulty,  and  looked 
from  side  to  side  like  a  man  in  a  maze. 

"  One  bold  stroke,"  whispered  the  Colonel,  "  and  we 
may  still  escape." 

But  the  suggestion  recalled  the  Prince's  spirits. 

"  Silence  !  "  said  he.  "  Let  me  see  that  you  can 
play  like  a  gentleman  for  any  stake,  however  serious." 


:6  ATE  W  AR. I BIAN  NIGH  IS. 

And  he  looked  about  him,  on<  e  more  to  all  appear* 
ance  at  liis  ease,  although  his  heart  beat  thickly,  and 
he  was  conscious  of  an  unpleasant  heat  in  his  bosom. 
The  members  were  all  very  quiet  and  intent;  everyone 
was  pale,  but  none  so  pale  as  Mr.  Malthus.  His  eyes 
protruded;  his  head  kept  nodding  involuntarily  upon 
his  spine;  his  hand-,  found  their  way,  one  after  the 
other,  to  his  mouth,  where  they  made  (hitches  at  his 
tremulous  and  ashen  lips.  It  was  plain  that  the  hon- 
orary member  enjoyed  his  membership  on  very  start- 
ling terms. 

'"Attention,  gentlemen  !"  said  the  President. 

And  he  began  slowly  dealing  the  cards  about  the 
table  in  the  reverse  direction,  pausing  until  each  man 
had  shown  his  card.  Nearly  everyone  hesitated;  ami 
sometimes  you  would  see  a  player's  fingers  stumble 
more  than  once  before  he  could  turn  over  the  momen- 
tous slip  of  pasteboard.  As  the  Prince's  turn  drew 
nearer,  he  was  conscious  of  a  growing  and  almost  suf- 
focating excitement;  but  he  had  somewhat  of  the 
gambler's  nature,  and  recognized  almost  with  astonish- 
ment that  there  was  a  degree  of  pleasure  in  his  sensa- 
tions. The  nine  of  clubs  fell  to  his  lot;  the  three  of 
spades  was  dealt  to  Geraldine;  and  the  queen  of  hearts 
to  Mr.  Malthus,  who  was  unable  to  suppress  a  sob  of 
relief.  The  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts  almost 
immediately  afterwards  turned  over  the  ace  of  clubs, 
and  remained  frozen  with  horror,  the  card  still  resting 
on  his  finger;  lie  had  not  come  there  to  kill,  but  to  be 
killed;  and  the  Prince,  in  his  generous  sympathy  with 
position,  almost  forgot  the  peril  that  still  hung  over 
himself  and  his  friend. 

The  deal  was  coming  round  again,  and  still  Death's 
had  not  come  out.  The  players  held  their  respi- 
ration, and  only  breathed  by  gasps.  The  Prince 
ved  another  club;  Geraldine  had  a  diamond;  but 
when  Mr.  Malthus  turned  up  his  card  a  horrible  noise, 
like  that  of  something  breaking,  issued  from  his 
mouth;  and  he  rose  from  his  seat  and  sat  down  again, 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  27 

with  no  sign  of  his  paralysis.  It  was  the  ace  of  spades. 
The  honorary  member  had  trifled  once  too  often  with 
his  terrors. 

Conversation  broke  out  again  almost  at  once.  The 
players  relaxed  their  rigid  attitudes,  and  began  to  rise 
from  the  table  and  stroll  back  by  twos  and  threes  into 
the  smoking-room.  The  President  stretched  his  arms 
and  yawned,  like  a  man  who  had  finished  his  day's 
work.  But  Mr.  Malthus  sat  in  his  place,  with  his  head 
in  his  hands,  and  his  hands  upon  the  table,  drunk  and 
motionless — a  thing  stricken  down. 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  made  their  escape  at  once. 
In  the  cold  night  air  their  horror  of  what  they  had 
witnessed  was  redoubled. 

"  Alas  !  "  cried  the  Prince,  "  to  be  bound  by  an  oath 
in  such  a  matter  !  to  allow  this  wholesale  trade  in 
murder  to  be  continued  with  profit  and  impunity  !  If 
I  but  dared  to  forfeit  my  pledge  !  " 

"  That  is  impossible  for  your  Highness,"  replied  the 
Colonel,  whose  honor  is  the  honor  of  Bohemia.  "But 
I  dare,  and  may  with  propriety,  forfeit  mine." 

"Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "if  your  honor  suffers 
in  any  of  the  adventures  into  which  you  follow  me, 
not  only  will  I  never  pardon  you,  but — what  I  believe 
will  much  more  sensibly  affect  you — I  should  never 
forgive  myself." 

I   receive    your    Highness's   commands,"    replied 
the  Colonel.     "  Shall  we  go  from  this  accursed  spot  ? " 

"Yes,"  said  the  Prince.  "Call  a  cabin  Heaven's 
name,  and  let  me  try  to  forget  in  slumber  the  memory 
of  this  night's  disgrace." 

But  it  was  notable  that  he  carefully  read  the  name 
of  the  court  before  he  left  it. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  the  Prince  was  stirring, 
Colonel  Geraldine  brought  him  a  daily  newspaper, 
with  the  following  paragraph  marked  : — ■ 

"  Melancholy  Accident. — This  morning,  about 
two  o'clock,  Mr.  Bartholomew  Malthus,  of  16  Chep- 
stow Place,  Westbourne  Grove,  on  his  way  home  from 


new  Arabian  nights. 

a  party  at  a  friend's  house,  f<  ii  over  the  upper  parapel 

in  Trafalgai  Square,  fracturing  liis  skull  and  breaking 

and  an   arm.      Death   was  instantaneous.      Mr. 

ompanied    by  a    friend,  was  engaged   in 

it  the  time  of  the  unfoi  I  ■  <  ui  - 

rence.     A.s   Mr.  Malthus  was   paralytic,  it  is  thought 

that  his  fall  may  '1  by  another 

ire.     The  unhappy  gentleman  was  well  known  in 

the  most  respectable  circles,  and  his  loss  will  be  widely 

and  deeply  deplored." 

"  If  ever  a  soul  went  straigl  I  I  i  Hell,"  said  Geral- 
dine  solemnly,  '*  it  was  that  paral)  tic  man's." 

The  Prince  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  remained 
silent. 

"I    am    almost   rejoiced,"    continued  the  Col 
"to  know  that  he  is  dv.A.      But    for  our  young  man  of 
the  cream  tarts  I  confess  my  heart  bleeds." 

"  (  'leraldine,"  said  the  Prim  .  raising  his  face,  "  that 
unhappy  lad  was  last  night  as  innocent  as  you  and  I; 
ing  the  guilt  of  blood  is  on  Ids  soul. 
When  I  think  of  the  President,  my  heart  grows  sick 
within  me.  I  do  not  know  how  it  shall  be  done,  but] 
shall  have  that  scoundrel  at  my  mercy  as  there  is  a  God 
in  heaven.  What  an  experience,  what  a  lesson,  was 
that  garni  Is ! "  ^ 

"One,"   said  the  Colonel,   "never    to    be  repeated." 
The  Prince  remained  without  replying,  that 

Mine  grew  alarmed. 

I  to  return,"  he  said.      ''You  have 
and     een  too  much  horror  alread  . . 
The  duties  of  your  high  position   forbid  the  repetition 
of  the  hazard  " 

"There  is  much  in  what  you  say,"  replied  Prince 
Florizel,  "and  I  am  not  altogether  pleased  with  my 
own  determination.  Alas  !  in  the  clothes  of  the 
great  tate,  what  is  there  but  a  man  ?     I  never 

felt   :  more    acutely  than    now,  Geraldine, 

but    it   is   stronger    than    I.      (kin    I   cease    to   interest 
if  in  the  fortunes  of  the  unhappy  young  man  who 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  29 

supped  with  us  some  hours  ago  ?  Can  I  leave  the 
President  to  follow  his  nefarious  career  unwatched  ? 
Can  I  begin  an  adventure  so  entrancing,  and  not  follow 
it  to  an  end  ?  No,  Geraldine  ;  you  ask  of  the  Prince 
more  than  the  man  is  able  to  perform.  To-night,  once 
more,  we  take  our  places  at  the  table  of  the  Suicide 
Club." 

Colonel  Geraldine  fell  upon  his  knees. 

"Will  your  Highness  take  my  life?"  he  cried.  "It 
is  his — his  freely  ;  but  do  not,  O  do  not !  let  him  ask 
me  to  countenance  so  terrible  a  risk." 

"  Colonel  Geraldine,"  replied  the  Prince,  with  some 
haughtiness  of  manner,  "your  life  is  absolutely  your 
own.  I  only  looked  for  obedience  ;  and  when  that  is 
unwillingly  rendered,  I  shall  look  for  that  no  longer. 
I  add  one  word  :  your  importunity  in  this  affair  h.:s 
been  sufficient." 

The  Master  of  the  Horse  regained  his  feet  at  once. 
"Your  Highness,"  he  said,  "may  I  be  excused  in 
my  attendance  this  afternoon  ?  I  dare  not,  as  an 
honorable  man,  venture  a  second  time  into  that  fatal 
house  until  I  have  perfectly  ordered  my  affairs.  Your 
Highness  shall  meet,  I  promise  him,  with  no  more 
opposition  from  the  most  devoted  and  grateful  of  his 
servants." 

"My  dear  Geraldine,"  returned  Prince  Florizel,  ".I 
always  regret  when  you  oblige  me  to  remember  my 
rank.  Dispose  of  your  day  as  you  think  fit,  but  be 
here  before  eleven  in  the  same  disguise." 

The  club,  on  this  second  evening,  was  not  so  fully 
attended  ;  and  when  Geraldine  and  the  Prince  arrived, 
there  were  not  above  half-a-dozen  persons  in  the  smok- 
ing room.  His  Highness  took  the  President  aside  and 
congratulated  him  warmly  on  the  demise  of  Mr.  Mal- 
thus. 

"  I  like,"  he  said,  "to  meet  with  capacity,  and  cer- 
tainly find  much  of  it  in  you.  Your  profession  is  of  a 
very  delicate  nature,  but  1  sec  you  are  well  qualified 
to  conduct  it  with  success  and  secrecy." 


30  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

The  President  was  somewhat  affected  by  these  com« 
pliments  from  one  of  his  Highness's  superior  bearing, 
knowledged  them  almost  with  humility. 

"Poor  Malthy !"  he  added,   "I    shall  hardly  know 
the  club  without   him.     The  most  of  my  patrons  are 
,  sir,  and  poetical   boys,  who  are  not  much  com- 
pany for  me.      Not  but  what   Malthy  had  some  poetry, 
;  hut  it  was  of  a  kind  that  I  could  understand." 
I  can  readily  imagine    you    should  find  yourself  in 
sympathy  with   Mr.  Malthus,"    returned   the    Prince 

He  struck  me  as  a  man  of  a  very  original  disposi- 
tion." 

The  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts  was  in  the  room, 
but  painfully  depressed  and  silent.  His  late  com- 
panions sought  in  vain  to   lead   him  into  conversation. 

"How  bitterly  I  wish,"  he  cried,  "that  I  had  never 
brought  you  to  this  infamous  abode  !  Begone,  while 
ire  clean-handed.  If  you  could  have  heard  the 
old  man  scream  as  he  fell,  and  the  noise  of  his  bonis 
upon  the  pavement  !  Wish  me,  if  you  have  any  kind- 
to  so  fallen  a  being — wish  the  ace  of  spades  for 
me  to-night  ! " 

A  few  more  members  dropped  in  as  the  evening 
went  on,  but  the  club  did  not  muster  more  than  the 
devil's  dozen  when  they  took  their  places  at  the  table. 
The  Prince  was  again  conscious  of  a  certain  joy  in  his 
alarms  ;  but  he  was  astonished  to  see  Geraldine  so 
much  more  self-possessed  than  on  the  night  before. 

"  It  is  extraordinary,"  thought  the  Prince,  "  that  a 
will,  made  or  unmade,  should  so  greatly  influence  a 
young  man's  spirit." 

"  Attention,  gentlemen  !"  said  the  President,  and  he 
began  to  deal. 

Three  times  the  cards  went  all  round  the  table,  and 
neither  of  the  marked  cards  had  yet  fallen  from  his 
hand.  The  excitement  as  he  began  the  fourth  dis- 
tribution was  overwhelming.  There  were  just  cards 
enough  to  go  once  more  entirely  round.  The  Prince, 
who  sat  second  from  the   dealer's  left,   would  receive, 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  31 

in  the  reverse  mode  of  dealing  practiced  at  the  club, 
the  second  last  card.  The  third  player  turned  up  a 
black  ace — it  was  the  ace  of  clubs.  The  next  received 
a  diamond,  the  next  a  heart,  and  so  on  ;  but  the  ace  of 
spades  was  still  undelivered.  At  last  Geraldine,  who 
sat  upon  the  Prince's  left,  turned  his  card  ;  it  was  an 
ace,  but  the  ace  of  hearts. 

When  Prince  Florizel  saw  his  fate  upon  the  table  in 
front  of  him,  his  heart  stood  still.  He  was  a  brave 
man,  but  the  sweat  poured  off  his  face.  There  were 
exactly  fifty  chances  out  of  a  hundred  that  he  was 
doomed.  He  reversed  the  card  ;  it  was  the  ace  of 
spades.  A  loud  roaring  filled  his  brain,  and  the  table 
swam  before  his  eyes.  He  heard  the  player  on  his 
right  break  into  a  fit  of  laughter  that  sounded  between 
mirth  and  disappointment  ;  he  saw  the  company 
rapidly  dispersing,  but  his  mind  was  full  of  other 
thoughts.  He  recognized  how  foolish,  how  criminal, 
had  been  his  conduct.  In  perfect  health,  in  the  prime 
of  his  years,  the  heir  to  a  throne,  he  hr.d  gambled 
away  his  future  and  that  of  a  brave  and  loyal  country. 
"God,"  he  cried,  "  God  forgive  me  !"  And  with  that, 
the  confusion  of  his  senses  passed  away,  and  he 
regained  his  self-possession  in  a  moment. 

To  his  surprise  Geraldine  had  disappeared.  There 
was  no  one  in  the  card-room  but  his  destined  butcher 
consulting  with  the  President,  and  the  young  man  of 
the  cream  tarts,  who  slipped  up  to  the  Prince  and 
whispered  in  his  ear  : 

"  I  would  give  a  million,  if  I  had  it,  for  your  luck." 

His  Highness  could  not  help  reflecting,  as  the 
young  man  departed,  that  he  would  have  sold  his 
opportunity  for  a  much  more  moderate  sum. 

The  whispered  conference  now  came  to  an  end. 
The  holder  of  the  ace  of  clubs  left  the  room  with  a 
look  of  intelligence,  and  the  President,  approaching 
the  unfortunate  Prince,  proffered  him  his  hand. 

"I  am  pleased  to  have  met  you,  sir,"  said  he,  "and 
pleased  to  have  been  in  a  position   to  do  you  this  tri- 


.    :  not  complain  of  delay, 
( >n  the  m<  ond  evening — what  a  stroke  ol  lu<  k  !" 

Tl     .  /ored  in   vain  to  articulate  some  • 

thing   in  .    but   his  mouth  was  dry  and  his 

-    .     little  sickish  ?"  a  ked   the   President, 
:   solicitude.     "Most  gentlemen  do. 
Will 

fied  in  the  affirmative,  and  the  other 

diately  filled  some  of  the  spirit  into  a  tumbler. 

"  i  old  Malthy  !"  ejaculated  the   President,  as 

the  Prince  drained  the  glass.     "  He  drank   near  upon 

a  pint,  ;.nd  little  enough  good  it  seemed  to  do  him  !" 

re  amenable  to  treatment,"  said  the  Prince,a 

1    revived.     "I    am   my   own    man   again   at 

,  as  you  perceive.     And  so,  let  me  ask  you,  what 

ns  ?" 

"  You  will  proceed  along  the  Strand  in  the  direction 

of  the  Cil  i  the  left-hand  pavement,  until  you 

meet  the  gentleman   who  has  just  left  the  room.     He 

will  (  ontinue  your  instructions,  and  him  you  will  have 

the  kindness  to   obey  ;    the  authority   of  the  club    is 

d  in  his  person  for  the  night.     And  now,"    added 

the  President,  "  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  walk." 

Florizel   acknowledged    the   salutation    rather   awk- 
wardly, and  took  his  leave.     He  passed  through  the 
room,   where    the  bulk   of  the  players  were 
still  consuming  champagne,  some  of   whi<  h  he  had  him- 
lid  paid  for  ;  and  he  was  surprised  to  find 
•If  cursing  them  in  his  heart.   1  fe  put  on  his  hat  and 
•  coat  in  the  cabinet,  and  selected  his  umbrella  from 
rner.     The  familiarity  of  these  acts,  and  the  thought 
that  he  was  about  them  for  the  last  time,  betrayed  him 
into  a  fit  of  laughter  which   sounded  unpleasantly  in 
ars.     He  conceived  a  relu<  I  in<  e  to  leave  the 
li    itead  to  the  window.     The  sight 
of  lb  iid  the  darkness  recalled  him  to  himself. 

.  i  :.        be  a  man,"  he  thought,  "and 
[f  away." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  1$ 

At  the  corner  of  Box  Court  three  men  fell  upon 
Prince  Florizel  and  he  was  unceremoniously  thrust  into 
a  carriage,  which  at  once  drove  rapidly  away.  There 
was  already  an  occupant. 

"  Will  your  Highness  pardon  my  zeal  ?"  said  a  well- 
known  voice. 

The  Prince  threw  himself  upon  the  Colonel's  neck  in 
a  passion  of  relief. 

"  How  can  I  ever  thank  you  ?"  he  cried.  "  And  how 
was  this  effected  ?" 

Although  he  had  been  willing  to  march  upon  his 
doom,  he  was  overjoyed  to  yield  to  friendly  violence, 
and  return  once  more  to  life  and  hope. 

"You  can  thank  me  effectually  enough,"  replied  the 
Colonel,  "  by  avoiding  all  such  dangers  in  the  future. 
And  as  for  your  second  question,  all  has  been  managed 
by  the  simplest  means.  I  arranged  this  afternoon  with 
a  celebrated  detective.  Secrecy  has  been  promised 
and  paid  for.  Your  own  servants  have  been  princi- 
pally engaged  in  the  affair.  The  house  in  Box  Court 
has  been  surrounded  since  nightfall,  and  this,  which  is 
one  of  your  own  carriages,  has  been  awaiting  you  for 
nearly  an  hour." 

"  And  the  miserable  creature  who  was  to  have  slain 
me — what  of  him  ?"  inquired  the  Prince. 

"  He  was  pinioned  as  he  left  the  club,"  replied  the 
Colonel,  "  and  now  awaits  your  sentence  at  the  Palace, 
where  he  will  soon  be  joined  by  his  accomplices.  " 

"  Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "  you  have  saved  me 
against  my  explicit  orders,  and  you  have  done  well.  I 
owe  you  not  only  my  life,  but  a  lesson  ;  and  I  should 
be  unworthy  of  my  rank  if  I  did  not  show  myself  grate- 
ful to  my  teacher.  Let  it  be  yours  to  choose  the  man- 
ner." 

There  was  a  pause,  during  which  the  carriage  con- 
tinued to  speed  through  the  streets,  and  the  two  men 
were  each  buried  in  his  own  reflections.  The  silence 
was  broken  by  Colonel  Geraldine. 

"Your    Highness,"   said    he,   "has  by   this   time   a 


H  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

derable  body  of  prisoners.     There  is  at  least  one 
criminal  among  the  number  to  whom  justice  should  be 
dealt.     0   ■  oath  forbids  us  all  recourse  to  law;  and 
discretion  would   forbid  it    equally  it"  the  oath    were 
n<  d.     May  I  inquire  your  Highness's  intention  ?" 
"  [i  I  d,"  answered  Florizel  ;  "the  President 

must  fall  in  duel.     It  only  remains  to  choose  his  adver- 
sary." 

"\  hn  ess  has  permitted  me  to  name  my  own 

ipense,"  said  the  Colonel.     "Will  he  permit  me 

tn   ask  the    appointment    of  my   brother?     It  is   an 

honorable  post,  but  1  dare  assure  your  Highness  that 

the  lad  will  acquit  himself  with  credit." 

"  You  ask  me  an  ungracious  favor,"  said  the  Prince, 

•  I  must  refuse  you  nothing." 
The  Colonel  kissed  his  hand  with  the  greatest  affec- 
tion ;  and  at  that  moment  the  carriage  rolled  under  the 
archway  of  the  Prince's  splendid  residence. 

An  hour  after,  Florizel  in  his  official  robes,  and 
covered  with  all  the  orders  of  Bohemia,  received  the 
members  of  the  Suicide  Club. 

"Foolish  and  wicked  men,"  said  he,  "as    many    of 
you  as  have  been  driven  into  this  strait  by  the   lack  of 
fortune   shall   receive  employment   and   remuneration 
from  my  officers.     Those  who  suffer  under  a  sense  of 
guilt  must  have  recourse  to  a  higher  and  more  gener- 
ous Potentate  than  I.     I  feel  pity  for  all  of  you,  deeper 
than  you  can   imagine  ;  to-morrow   you   shall   tell   me 
your  stories  ;  and  as  you  answer  more  frankly,  I   shall 
be  the  more  able  to  remedy  your  misfortunes.     As  for 
,"  he  added,  turning  to  the   President,  "I  should 
only  offend  a  person  of  your  parts  by  any  offer  of  assis- 
;  but  I  have  instead  a  piece  of  diversion  to  pro- 
to  you.     Here,'   laying  his  hand  on  the  shoulder 
»lonel  Geraldine's  young  brother,  "  is  an  officer  of 
mine  who  desires  to  make  a  little  tour  upon   the  Con- 
tinent ;  and  I  ask  you,  as  a  favor,  to  accompany  him 
on  this  excursion.     Do  you,"  he  went  on,  changing  his 
tone,  "  do  you  shoot  well   with  the  pistol  ?     Because 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  35 

you  may  have  need  of  that  accomplishment  When  two 
men  go  traveling  together,  it  is  best  to  be  prepared  for 
all.  Let  me  add  that,  if  by  any  chance  you  should 
lose  young  Mr.  Geraldine  upon  the  way,  I  shall  always 
have  another  member  of  my  household  to  place  at 
your  disposal;  and  I  am  known,  Mr.  President,  to  have 
long  eyesight,  and  as  long  an  arm." 

With  these  words,  said  with  much  sternness,  the 
Prince  concluded  his  address.  Next  morning  the 
members  of  the  club  were  suitably  provided  for  by  his 
munificence,  and  the  President  set  forth  upon  his 
travels,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Geraldine,  and  a 
pair  of  faithful  and  adroit  lackeys,  well  trained  in  the 
Prince's  household.  Not  content  with  this,  discreet 
agents  were  put  in  possession  of  the  house  of  Box 
Court,  and  all  letters  of  visitors  for  the  Suicide  Club  or 
its  officials  were  to  be  examined  by  Prince  Florizel  in 
person. 

Here  (says  my  Arabian  author)  ends  The  Story  of 
the  Young  Man  with  the  Cream  Tarts,  who  is 
now  a  comfortable  householder  in  Wig  more  Street,  Caven- 
dish Square.  The  number,  for  obvious  reasons,  I  sup- 
press. Those  who  care  to  pursue  the  adventures  of 
Prince  Florizel  and  the  President  of  the  Suicide  Club, 
may  read  the  History  of  the  Physician  and  the 
Saratoga  Trunk. 


)RY   OF    Till-    PHYSICIAN  AND    77/ P. 
SARATOGA    TRUNK. 


Mr.  Silas  Q.  Scuddamore  was  a  young  American  of 
a  simple  and  harmless  disposition,  which  was  tin-  more 
to  his  <  redit  as  he  i  ame  from  New  England — a  quarter 

of  the  Xew  World  not  precisely  famous  for  thosequal- 
ities.  Although  he  was  exceedingly  rich,  he  kept  a 
note  of  all  his  expenses  in  a  little  paper  pocket-book  ; 
and  he  had  chosen  to  study  the  attractions  of  Paris 
from  the  seventh  story  of  what  is  called  a  furnished 
hotel,  in  the  Latin  Quarter.  There  was  a  great  deal 
of  habit  in  his  penuriousness  ;  and  his  virtue,  which 
i  rkable  among  his  associates,  was  princi- 
pally founded  upon  diffidence  and  youth. 

The  next   room  to  his  was  inhabited  by  a  lady,  very 

attractive  in  her  air  and  very  elegant  in  toilette,  whom, 

on   his  first   arrival,  he  had    taken  for  a  Countess.      In 

course  of  time  he  had  learned  that  she  was  known  by 

the  name   of  Madame   Zephyrine,  and   that  whatever 

station  she  occupied  in  life  it  was  not  that  of  a  person 

of  title.     Madame  Zephyrine,  probably  in  the  hope  of 

enchanting  the  young  American,  used  to  flaunt  by  him 

on  the  stairs  with  a  civil  inclination,  a  word  of  course, 

and    a   knock-down    look    out   of  her   black    eves,  and 

disappear  in  a  rustle  of  silk,  and  with  the  revelation  of 

and  ankle.       But    these   adva  ii'       .      > 

luraging  Mr.  Scud  plunged  him 

into   the  depths   of  depression   and   bashfulness.      She 

to  him  several  times  for  a  light,  or  to  apolo- 

for  the  imaginary  depredations  of  her  poodle  ;  but 
his  mouth  was  i  losed  in  the-  presence  of  so  superior  a 

:.    his    French    promptly  left   him,  and   he  could 
only  stare  and  stammer  until  she  was  gone.     The  slen- 
derness  of  their  intercourse  did  not  prevent  him  from 
36 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  37 

throwing  out  insinuations  of  a  very  glorious  order 
when  he  was  safely  alone  with  a  few  males. 

The  room  on  the  other  side  of  the  American's — for 
there  were  three  rooms  on  a  floor  in  the  hotel — was  ten- 
anted by  an  old  English  physician  of  rather  doubtful 
reputation.  Dr.  Noel,  for  that  was  his  name,  had  been 
forced  to  leave  London,  where  he  enjoyed  a  large  and 
increasing  practice  ;  and  it  was  hinted  that  the  police 
had  been  the  instigators  of  this  change  of  scene.  At 
least  he,  who  had  made  something  of  a  figure  in  earliei 
life,  now  dwelt  in  the  Latin  Quarter  in  great  simplicity 
and  solitude,  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  study. 
Mr.  Scuddamore  had  made  his  acquaintance,  and  the 
pair  would  now  and  then  dine  together  frugally  in  a 
restaurant  across  the  street. 

Silas  Q.  Scuddamore  had  many  little  vices  of  the 
more  respectable  order,  and  was  not  restrained  by  deli- 
cacy from  indulging  them  in  many  rather  doubtful 
ways.  Chief  among  his  foibles  stood  curiosity.  He 
was  a  born  gossip  ;  and  life,  and  especially  those  parts 
of  it  in  which  he  had  no  experience,  interested  him  to 
the  degree  of  passion.  He  Avas  a  pert,  invincible  ques- 
tioner, pushing  his  inquiries  with  equal  pertinacity  and 
indiscretion  ;  he  had  been  observed,  when  he  took  a 
letter  to  the  post,  to  weigh  it  in  his  hand,  to  turn  it 
over  and  over,  and  to  study  the  address  with  care  ; 
and  when  he  found  a  flaw  in  the  partition  between  his 
room  and  Madame  Zephyrine's,  instead  of  filling  it  up, 
he  enlarged  and  improved  the  opening,  and  made  use 
of  it  as  a  spy-hole  on  his  neighbor's  affairs. 

One  day,  in  the  end  of  March,  his  curiosity  growing 
as  it  was  indulged,  he  enlarged  the  hole  a  little  further, 
so  that  he  might  command  another  corner  of  the  room. 
That  evening,  when  lie  went  as  usual  to  inspect  Madame 
Zephyrine's  movements,  he  was  astonished  to  find  the 
aperture  obscured  in  an  odd  manner  on  the  other  side, 
and  still  more  abashed  when  the  obstacle  was  suddenly 
withdrawn  and  a  titter  of  laughter  reached  his  ears. 
Some  of  the  plaster  had  evidently  betrayed  the  secret 


V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

t if  his  Bpy-hole,  and  his  neighbor  had  been  returning 
the  compliment  in  kind.  Mr.  Scuddamore  was  moved 
to  a  very  a<  ate  feeling  of  annoyance  ;  he  condemned 
ame  Z^phyrine  unmercifully  ;  he  even  blamed 
himself;  but  when  lie  found,  next  day,  that  she  had 
taken  no  means  to  baulk  him  of  his  favorite  pastime, 
he  continued  to  profit  by  her  carelessness,  and  gratify 
his  idle  curiosity. 

That  next  day  Madame  7cphyrine  received  a  long 
visit  from  a  tall,  loosely-built  man  of  fifty  or  upwards, 
whom  Silas  had  not  hitherto  seen.  His  tweed  suit  and 
colored  shirt,  no  less  than  his  shaggy  side-whiskers, 
identified  him  as  a  Britisher,  and  his  dull  gray  eye 
affected  Silas  with  a  sense  of  cold.  lie  kept  screwing 
his  month  from  side  to  side  and  round  and  round 
during  the  whole  colloquy,  which  was  carried  on  in 
whispers.  More  than  on<  e  it  seemed  to  the  young  New 
Englandcr  as  if  their  gestures  indicated  his  own  apart- 
ment ;  but  the  only  thing  definite  he  could  gather  by 
the  most  scrupulous  attention  was  this  remark  made 
by  the  Englishman  in  a  somewhat  higher  key,  as  if  in 
answer  to  some  reluctance  or  opposition. 

"  I  have  studied  his  taste  to  a  nicety,  and  I  tell  you 
again  and  again  you  are  the  only  woman  of  the  sort 
that  I  can  lay  my  hands  on." 

In  answer  to  this,  Madame  Zephyrinc  sighed,  and 
appeared  by  a  gesture  to  resign  herself,  like  one  yield- 
•  unqualified  authority. 

That  afternoon  the  observatory  was  finally  blinded, 
a  wardrobe  having  been  drawn  in  front  of  it  upon  the 
other  side,  and  while  Silas  was  still  lamenting  over 
this  misfortune,  which  he  attributed  to  the  Britisher's 
malign  suggestion,  the  concierge  brought  him  up  a  let- 
ter in  a  female  handwriting.  It  was  conceived  in 
French  of  no  very  rigorous  orthography,  bore  no  signa- 
ture, and  in  the  m  I  encouraging  terms  invited  the 
young  American  to  be  present  in  a  certain  part  of  the 
Bullier  Ball  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night.  Curiosity 
and  timidity  fought  a  long  battle  in  his  heart  ;  some- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  39 

times  he  was  all  virtue,  sometimes  all  fire  and  daring  ; 
and  the  result  of  it  was  that,  long  before  ten,  Mr.  Silas 
Q.  Scuddamore  presented  himself  in  unimpeachable 
attire  at  the  door  of  the  Bullier  Ball  Rooms,  and  paid 
his  entry  money  with  a  sense  of  reckless  deviltry  that 
was  not  without  its  charm. 

It  was  Carnival  time,  and  the  Ball  was  very  full  and 
noisy.  The  lights  and  the  crowd  at  first  rather  abashed 
our  young  adventurer,  and  then,  mounting  to  his  brain 
with  a  sort  of  intoxication,  put  him  in  possession  of  more 
than  his  own  share  of  manhood.  He  felt  ready  to  face 
the  devil,  and  strutted  in  the  ballroom  with  the  swag- 
ger of  a  cavalier.  While  he  was  thus  parading,  he 
became  aware  of  Madame  Zephyrine  and  her  Britisher 
in  conference  behind  a  pillar.  The  cat-like  spirit  of 
eaves-dropping  overcame  him  at  once.  He  stole  nearer 
and  nearer  on  the  couple  from  behind,  until  he  was 
within  earshot. 

"  That  is  the  man,"  the  Britisher  was  saying  ;  "  there 
— with  the  long  blond  hair — speaking  to  a  girl  in 
green." 

Silas  identified  a  very  handsome  young  fellow  of 
small  stature,  who  was  plainly  the  object  of  this  desig- 
nation. 

"  It  is  well,"  said  Madame  Zephyrine.  "  I  shall  do 
my  utmost.  But,  remember,  the  best  of  us  may  fail  in 
such  a  matter." 

"  Tut  !  "  returned  her  companion  ;  "  I  answer  for 
the  result.  Have  I  not  chosen  you  from  thirty  ?  Go  ; 
but  be  wary  of  the  Prince.  I  cannot  think  what  cursed 
accident  has  brought  him  here  to-night.  As  if  there 
were  not  a  dozen  balls  in  Paris  better  worth  his  notice 
than  this  riot  of  students  and  counter-jumpers  !  See 
him  where  he  sits,  more  like  a  reigning  Emperor  at 
home  than  a  Prince  upon  his  holidays  !  " 

Silas  was  again  lucky.  He  observed  a  person  of 
rather  a  full  build,  strikingly  handsome,  and  of  a  very 
stately  and  courteous  demeanor,  seated  at  table  with 
another  handsome  young  man,  several  years  his  junior. 


40  NIGHTS. 

who  1  him  with  conspicuous  deference.     The 

name  of  Prince  struck  gratefully  on  Silas's  Republican 
hearing,  and  the  aspcci  ol  the  person  to  whom  thai 
nam  d  its  usual  charm  upon  his 

mind.     1 ;  ne  Z£pbyrine  and  her  Enj 

man  to  1  ch  other,  and  threading  his  way 

through  the  assembly,  approai  lied  the  table  which  the 
l'rim  e  and  his  confidant  had  honored  with  their  <  hoicc. 
*'  1  tell  you,  Geraldin  .  irmer  was  saying,"the 

d  is  madn  Yourself  (I  am  glad  to  remember 

it)  chose  your  brother  for  this  perilous  service,  and  you 
are  hound  in  duty  to    have  a   guard  upon   his  conduct, 
is  consented  to  delay  so  many  days  in  Paris;  that 
llready  an   imprudence,  considering  the  character 
of  the  man  he  has  to  deal  with  ;  but  now,  when  he  is 
within  eight  and  forty  hours  of  his  departure,  when  he 
is  within  two  or  three  days  of  the  decisive  trial,  I  ask 
you,  is  this  a  place  for  him  to  spend  his  time  ?     lie 
should  be  in  a  gallery  at  practice  ;  he  should  be  sleep- 
ing long  hours  and  taking  moderate  exen  ise  on  foot  ; 
he  should    be   On   a   rigorous  diet,  without   white  wines 
or  brandy.      Does   the  dog  imagine  we  are  all  playing 
dy?     The  thing  is  deadly  earnest,  Geraldine." 
"  I  know  the  lad  too  well  to  interfere,"  replied  Colonel 
ml  well  i  ::ot  to  be  alarmed,      lie- 

is  more  cautious  than  you  fancy,  and  of  an  indomit- 
able spirit.      If  it  had  been  a  woman   I  should  not  say 
so  much,  but  I  trust  the  President  to  him  and  the  two 
•  an  instant's  apprehension." 
"  I    am    gratified    to   hear   you   say   so,"  replied  the 
my  mind  is  not  at  rest.     Tl 
are   well-train  .  and   already  has   not   this   mis- 

ded  three  tunes  in  eluding  their  observa- 
tion ding  several  hours  on  end  in  private,  and 

'  lirs  ?     An    amateur    might 

have  lost  him  by  accident,  but  if  Rudolph  and  Jerome 

thrown  off  the  scent,  it  must   have  been  done  on 

purpose,  and  by  a  man  who  had  a  cogent  reason  and 

tional  resources." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  4 1 

"  I  believe  the  question  is  now  one  between  my 
brother  and  myself,"  replied  Geraldine,  with  a  shade 
of  offense  in  his  tone. 

"  I  permit  it  to  be  so,  Colonel  Geraldine,"  returned 
Prince  Florizel.  "  Perhaps,  for  that  very  reason,  you 
should  be  all  the  more  ready  to  accept  my  counsels. 
But  enough.     That  girl  in  yellow  dances  well." 

And  the  talk  veered  into  the  ordinary  topics  of  a 
Paris  ballroom  in  the  Carnival. 

Silas  remembered  where  he  was,  and  that  the  hour 
was  already  near  at  hand  when  he  ought  to  be  upon 
the  scene  of  his  assignation.  The  more  he  reflected 
the  less  he  liked  the  prospect,  and  as  at  that  moment 
an  eddy  in  the  crowd  began  to  draw  him  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  door,  he  suffered  it  to  carry  him  away 
without  resistance.  The  eddy  stranded  him  in  a  cor- 
ner under  the  gallery,  where  his  ear  was  immediately 
struck  with  the  voice  of  Madame  Zephyrine.  She 
was  speaking  in  French  with  the  young  man  of  the 
blond  locks  who  had  been  pointed  out  by  the  strange 
Britisher  not  half  an  hour  before. 

"  I  have  a  character  at  stake,"  she  said,  "  or  I  would 
put  no  other  condition  than  my  heart  recommends. 
But  you  have  only  to  say  so  much  to  the  porter,  and 
he  will  let  you  go  by  without  a  word." 

"  But  why  this  talk  of  debt  ?"  objected  her  companion. 

"Heavens!"  said  she,  "do  you  think  I  do  not 
understand  my  own  hotel  ?  " 

And  she  went  by,  clinging  affectionately  to  her 
companion's  arm. 

This  put  Silas  in  mind  of  his  billet. 

"Ten  minutes  hence,"  thought  he,  "and  I  may  be 
walking  with  as  beautiful  a  woman  as  that,  and  even 
better  dressed — perhaps  a  real  lady,  possibly  a  woman 
of  title." 

And  then  he  remembered  the  spelling,  and  was  a 
little  downcast. 

"  But  it  may  have  been  written  by  her  maid,"  he 
imagined. 


4  2  ■'■'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

The  clock  was  only  a  few  minutes  from  the  hour, 
ami  this  immediate  proximity  set  his  heart  beating  at 
a  curious  and  rather  disagreeable  speed.  He  reflected 
with  relief  that  he  was  in  no  way  bound  to  put  in  an 
appearance.  Virtue  and  cowardice  were  together,  and 
he  made  once  mere  for  the  door,  but  this  time  of  his 
own  accord,  and  battling  against  the  stream  of  people 
which  was  now  moving  in  a  contrary  direction.  Per- 
haps this  prolonged  resistance  wearied  him,  or  perhaps 
he  was  in  that  frame  of  mind  when  merely  to  continue 
in  the  same  determination  for  a  certain  number  of 
minutes  produces  a  reaction  and  a  different  purpose. 
Certainly,  at  least,  he  wheeled  about  for  a  third  time, 
and  ditl  not  stop  until  he  had  found  a  place  of  con- 
cealment within  a  icw  yards  of  the  appointed  place. 

Here  he  went  through  an  agony  of  spirit,  in  which 
he  several  times  prayed  to  God  for  help,  for  Silas  had 
been  devoutly  educated.  He  had  now  not  the  least 
inclination  for  the  meeting;  nothing  kept  him  from 
flight  but  a  silly  fear  lest  he  should  be  thought  un- 
manly ;  but  this  was  so  powerful  that  it  kept  head 
,st  all  other  motives;  and  although  it  could  not 
dei  ide  him  to  advance,  prevented  him  from  definitely 
running  away.  At  last  the  clock  indicated  ten  min- 
utes past  the  hour.  Young  Scuddamore's  spirit  began 
to  rise;  he  peered  round  the  corner  and  saw  no  one  at 
the  place  of  meeting;  doubtless  his  unknown  corre- 
spondent had  wearied  and  gone  away.  He  became  as 
bold  .is  he  had  formerly  been  timid.  It  seemed  to  him 
-  me  at  all  to  the  appointment,  however 
late,  he  was  clear  from  the  charge  of  cowardice.  Nay, 
now  he  began  to  suspect  a  hoax,  and  actually  compli- 
mented himself  on  his  shrewdness  in  having  suspe<  ted 
and  out-manoeuvred  his  mystifiers.  So  very  idle  a 
thing  is  a  boy's  mind! 

Armed  with  these  reflections,  he  advanced  boldly 
from  his  (  orner;  but  he  had  not  taken  above  a  couple 
of  st  re  a  hand   was   laid   upon  his  arm.      He 

turned  and  beheld  a  lady  cast  in  a  very  large  mould 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  43 

and  with  somewhat  stately  features,  but  bearing  no 
mark  of  severity  in  her  looks. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  a  very  self-confident  lady- 
killer,"  said  she;  "for  you  make  yourself  expected. 
But  I  was  determined  to  meet  you.  When  a  woman 
has  once  so  far  forgotten  herself  as  to  make  the  first 
advance,  she  has  long  ago  left  behind  her  all  consid- 
erations of  petty  pride." 

Silas  was  overwhelmed  by  the  size  and  attractions 
of  his  correspondent  and  the  suddenness  with  which 
she  had  fallen  upon  him.  But  she  soon  set  him  at  his 
ease.  She  was  very  towardly  and  lenient  in  her  beha- 
vior; she  led  him  on  to  make  pleasantries,  and  then 
applauded  him  to  the  echo;  and  in  a  very  short  time, 
between  blandishments  and  a  liberal  exhibition  of 
warm  brandy,  she  had  not  only  induced  him  to  fancy 
himself  in  love,  but  to  declare  his  passion  with  the 
greatest  vehemence. 

"Alas ! "  she  said;  "  I  do  not  know  whether  I 
ought  not  to  deplore  this  moment,  great  as  is  the 
pleasure  you  give  me  by  your  words.  Hitherto  I 
was  alone  to  suffer;  now,  poor  boy,  there  will  be  two. 
I  am  not  my  own  mistress.  I  dare  not  ask  you  to 
visit  me  at  my  own  house,  for  I  am  watched  by  jealous 
eyes.  Let  me  see,"  she  added;  "  I  am  older  than  you, 
although  so  much  weaker;  and  while  I  trust  in  your 
courage  and  determination,  I  must  employ  my  own 
knowledge  of  the  world  for  our  mutual  benefit.  Where 
do  you  live  ?  " 

He  told  her  that  he  lodged  in  a  furnished  hotel,  and 
named  the  street  and  number. 

She  seemed  to  reflect  for  some  minutes,  with  an 
effort  of  mind. 

"  I  see,"  she  said  at  last.  "  You  will  be  faithful  and 
obedient,  will  you  not?" 

Silas  assured  her  eagerly  of  his  fidelity. 

"  To-morrow  night,  then,"  she  continued,  with  an 
encouraging  smile,  "  you  must  remain  at  home  all  the 
evening;    and  if  any  friends  should  visit  you,  dismiss 


44  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

then*  at  once  on  any  pretext  that  most  readily  presents 
itself    Y'>ur  tli m >r  is  probably  shut  by  t(  n  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Ry  eleven,"  answered  Silas. 

"At  a  quarter  past  eleven,"  pursued  the  lady,  "1* 
the  house.  Merely  cry  tor  the  door  to  be  opened,  and 
re  you  tall  into  no  talk  with  the  porter,  as  that 
might  ruin  everything.  Go  straight  to  the  corner 
where  the  Luxembourg  Gardens  join  the  Boulevard; 
there  you  will  find  me  waiting  you.  1  trust  you  to  fol- 
low my  advice  from  point  to  point:  and  remember,  if 
you  fail  me  in  only  one  particular,  you  will  bring  the 
sharpest  trouble  on  a  woman  whose  only  fault  is  to 
have  seen  and  loved  you." 

"  I  cannot  see  the  use  of  all  these  instructions," 
said  Silas. 

"  I  believe  you  are  already  beginning  to  treat  me  as 
a  master,"  she  cried,  tapping  him  with  her  fan  upon 
the  arm.  "  Patience,  patience  !  that  should  come  in 
time.  A  woman  loves  to  be  obeyed  at  first,  although 
afterwards  she  finds  her  pleasure  in  obeying.  Do  as  I 
ask  you,  for  Heaven's  sake,  or  I  will  answer  for  noth- 
ing. Indeed,  now  I  think  of  it,"  she  added,  with  the 
manner  of  one  who  had  just  seen  further  into  a  diffi- 
culty, "  I  find  a  better  plan  of  keeping  importunate 
visitors  away.  Tell  the  porter  to  admit  no  one  for 
you,  except  a  person  who  may  come  that  night  to 
claim  a  debt;  and  speak  with  some  feeling,  as  though 
you  feared  the  interview,  so  that  he  may  take  your 
words  in  earnest." 

"  I  think  you  may  trust  me  to  protect  myself  against 
intruders,"  he  said,  not  without  a  little  pique. 

"  That  is  how  I  should  prefer  the  thing  arranged," 
she  answered,  coldly.  "I  know  you  men;  you  think 
nothing  of  a  woman's  reputation." 

Silas  blushed  and  somewhat  hung  his  head;  for  the 
scheme  he  had  in  view  had  involved  a  little  vain-glory- 
ing before  his  acquaintances. 

"Above  all,"  she  added,  "do  not  speak  to  the  por- 
ter as  you  come  out." 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  45 

"And  why?  "said  he.  ''Of  all  your  instructions, 
that  seems  to  me  the  least  important." 

"  You  at  first  doubted  the  wisdom  of  some  of  the 
others,  which  you  now  see  to  be  very  necessary,"  she 
replied.  "  Believe  me,  this  also  has  its  uses;  in  time 
you  will  see  them;  and  what  am  I  to  think  of  your 
affection,  if  you  refuse  me  such  trifles  at  our  first  inter- 
view ?  " 

Silas  confounded  himself  in  explanations  and  apolo- 
gies; in  the  middle  of  these  she  looked  up  at  the  clock 
and  clapped  her  hands  together  with  a  suppressed 
scream. 

"  Heavens  !  "  she  cried,  "is  it  so  late?  I  have  not 
an  instant  to  lose.  Alas,  we  poor  women,  what  slaves 
we  are  !     What  have  I  not  risked  for  you  already?" 

And  after  repeating  her  directions,  which  she  art- 
fully combined  with  caresses  and  the  most  abandoned 
looks,  she  bade  him  farewell  and  disappeared  among 
the  crowd. 

The  whole  of  the  next  day  Silas  was  fdled  with  a 
sense  of  great  importance;  he  was  now  sure  she  was  a 
countess;  and  when  evening  came  he  minutely  obeyed 
her  orders  and  was  at  the  corner  of  the  Luxembourg 
Gardens  by  the  hour  appointed.  No  one  was  there. 
He  waited  nearly  half  an  hour,  looking  in  the  face  of 
everyone  who  passed  or  loitered  near  the  spot;  he 
even  visited  the  neighboring  corners  of  the  Boulevard 
and  made  a  complete  circuit  of  the  garden  railings; 
but  there  was  no  beautiful  countess  to  throw  herself 
into  his  arms.  At  last,  and  most  reluctantly,  he  began 
to  retrace  his  steps  towards  his  hotel.  On  the  way  he 
remembered  the  words  he  had  heard  pass  between 
Madame  Zephyrine  and  the  blond  young  man,  and 
they  gave  him  an  indefinite  uneasiness. 

"It  appears,"  he  reflected,  "that  everyone  has  to 
tell  lies  to  our  porter." 

He  rang  the  bell,  the  door  opened  before  him, 
and  the  porter  in  his  bed-clothes  came  to  offer  him  a 
light. 


V  JAW/: I. IX  NIGHTS. 

"Ill:      one  ?  "  inquired  the  porter. 
"He?    N\  In  -in  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  Silas,  some* 
what   sharply,  for  Ik- was  irritated  by  his  disappoint- 
ment. 

"  I  did  not  noti<  e  him  go  out,"  continued  the  porter, 

1   trust  you  paid  him.     We  do  not  care,  in  this 

i  have  lodgers  who  cannot  meet  their  liabil- 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean  ?"  demanded  Silas, 
rudely.    "  I  cannot  understand  a  word  of  this  farrago." 

"The  short,  blond  young  man  who  came  for  his 
debt."  returned  theother.      'Him  it  is  I  mean.     Who 

else  should  it  be,  when  I  had  your  orders  to  admit  no 
one  else  ?  " 

"  Why,  good  God,  of  course  he  never  came,"  retorted 
Silas. 

"  I  believe  what  I  believe,"  retorted  the  porter, 
putting  his  tongue  into  his  cheek  with  a  most  roguish 
air. 

"You  are  an  insolent  scoundrel,"  cried  Silas,  and, 
feeling  that  he  had  made  a  ridiculous  exhibition  of 
asperity,  and  at  the  same  time  bewildered  by  a  dozen 
alarms,  he  turned  and  began  to  run  up  stairs. 

"  Do  you  not  want  a  light  then  ?  "  cried  the  porter. 

But  Silas  only  hurried  the  faster,  and  did  not  pause 
until  he  had  reached  the  seventh  landing  and  stood  in 
front  of  his  own  door.  There  he  waited  a  moment  to 
recover  his  breath,  assailed  by  the  worst  forebodings 
and  almost  dreading  to  enter  the  room. 

When  at  last  he  did  so  he  was  relieved  to  find  it 
dark,  and  to  all  appearance,  untenanted.  He  drew  a 
long  breath.  Here  he  was,  home  again  in  safety,  and 
this  should  be  his  last  folly  as  certainly  as  it  had  been 
his  first.  The  matches  stood  on  a  little  table  by  the 
bed,  and  he  began  to  grope  his  way  in  that  direction. 
As  he  moved,  his  apprehensions  grew  upon  him  once 
more,  and  he  was  pleased,  when  his  foot  encountered 
an  obstacle,  to  find  it  nothing  more  alarming  than  a 
chair.     At  last  he  touched  curtains.     From  the  posi- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  47 

tion  of  the  window,  which  was  faintly  visible,  he  knew 
he  must  be  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  had  only  to  feel 
his  way  along  it  in  order  to  reach  the  table  in  question. 

He  lowered  his  hand,  but  what  he  touched  was  not 
simply  a  counterpane — it  was  a  counterpane  with 
something  underneath  it  like  the  outline  of  a  human 
leg.  Silas  withdrew  his  arm  and  stood  a  moment  pet- 
rified. 

"What,  what,"  he  thought,  "can  this  betoken  ?" 

He  listened  intently,  but  there  was  no  sound  of 
breathing.  Once  more,  with  a  great  effort,  he  reached 
out  the  end  of  his  finger  to  the  spot  he  had  already 
touched  ;  but  this  time  he  leaped  back  half  a  yard, 
and  stood  shivering  and  fixed  with  terror.  There  was 
something  in  his  bed.  What  it  was  he  knew  not,  but 
there  was  something  there. 

It  was  some  seconds  before  he  could  move.  Then, 
guided  by  an  instinct,  he  fell  straight  upon  the  matches, 
and  keeping  his  back  toward  the  bed,  lighted  a  candle. 
As  soon  as  the  flame  had  kindled,  he  turned  slowly 
round  and  looked  for  what  he  feared  to  see.  Sure 
enough,  there  was  the  worst  of  his  imaginations  real- 
ized. The  coverlid  was  drawn  carefully  up  over  the 
pillow,  but  it  moulded  the  outline  of  a  human  body 
lying  motionless  ;  and  when  he  dashed  forward  and 
flung  aside  the  sheets,  he  beheld  the  blond  young  man 
whom  he  had  seen  in  the  Bullier  Ball  the  night  before, 
his  eyes  open  and  without  speculation,  his  face  swollen 
and  blackened,  and  a  thin  stream  of  blood  trickling 
from  his  nostrils. 

Silas  uttered  a  long,  tremulous  wail,  dropped  the 
candle,  and  fell  on  his  knees  beside  the  bed. 

Silas  was  awakened  from  the  stupor  into  which  his 
terrible  discovery  had  plunged  him,  by  a  prolonged 
but  discreet  tapping  at  the  door.  It  took  him  some 
seconds  to  remember  his  position  ;  and  when  he  has- 
tened to  prevent  anyone  from  entering  it  was  already 
too  late.  Dr.  Noel,  in  a  tall  nightcap,  carrying  a  lamp 
which  lighted  up  his   long  white  countenance,  sidling 


•      ..'•  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 
in  Ids  gait,  and  peering  and  cocking  his  head  like  some 

■     of    bird,     pushed    the     <l<>..r     slowly     open,     and 

I  into  the  middle  of  the  room. 
'•  I  ■  ■  1  heard  a  cry,"  bi  "  and 

fearii  might  l>c  unwell,   1   did  not   hesitate  to 

Silas,  with  a  flushed  face  and  a  fearful  beating  heart, 
kept  between  the  Doctor  and  the  bed  ;  but  he  found 

■  answer, 
are   in  the  dark,"  pursued  the   Doctor;   "and 
vet  you  have  not.  even  begun  to  prepare  for  rest.     You 
will  not  easily  persuade  inst  my  own  eyesight  ; 

and  your  face  declares  most  eloquently  that  you 
require  either  a  friend  or  a  physician — which  is  it  to 
be?  Let  me  feel  your  pulse,  for  that  is  often  a  just 
reporter  of  the  heart." 

He  advanced  to  Silas,  who  still  retreated  before  him 
backwards,  and  sought  to  take  him  by  the  wrist?  but 
the  strain  on  the  young  \;i  :ri<  mi's  nerves  had  be 

•eat  for  endurance.      He  avoided  the  Doctor  with 
a    febrile  movement,  and,  throwing   himself   upon   the 
.  burst  into  a  flood  of  weeping. 

i  as  l)r.  Noel  perceived  the  dead  man  in  the 
bed  his  face  darkened  ;  and  hurrying  back  to  the  door 
which  he  had  left  ajar,  he  hastily  closed  and  double- 
1  it. 

he  cried,  addressing  Silas  in  strident  tones. 
"  This  is  no  time  for  weeping.  What  have  you  done  ? 
II  .v  came  this  body  in  your  room?  Speak  freely  to 
one  who  may  be  helpful.  Do  you  imagine  I  would 
ruin  you  ?  Do  you  think  this  piece  of  dead  flesh  on 
n  alter  in  any  degree  the  sympathy  with 
which  you  have  inspired  me  ?  Credulous  youth,  the 
horror  with  which  blind  and  unjust  law  regards  an 
:i  never  attaches  to  the  doer  in  the  eyes  of  those 
who  love  him;  and  if  I  saw  the  friend  of  my  heart 
return  to  me  out  of  seas  of  blood  he  would  be  in  no 
way  changed  in  my  affection.  Raise  yourself,"  he 
said;  "  good  and  ill  are  a  chimera;  there  is  naught  in 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  49 

life  except  destiny,  and  however  you  may  be  circum- 
stanced there  is  one  at  your  side  who  will  help  you  to 
the  last." 

Thus  encouraged,  Silas  gathered  himself  together, 
and  in  a  broken  voice,  and  helped  out  by  the  Doctor's 
interrogations,  contrived  at  last  to  put  him  in  posses- 
sion of  the  facts.  But  the  conversation  between  the 
Prince  and  Geraldine  he  altogether  omitted,  as  he 
had  understood  little  of  its  purport,  and  had  no  idea 
that  it  was  in  any  way  related  to  his  own  misadventure. 

"  Alas  !  "  cried  Dr.  Noel,  "  I  am  much  abused,  or 
you  have  fallen  innocently  into  the  most  dangerous 
hands  in  Europe.  Poor  boy,  what  a  pit  has  been  dug 
for  your  simplicity  !  into  what  a  deadly  peril  have 
your  unwary  feet  been  conducted  !  This  man,"  he 
said,  "  this  Englishman,  whom  you  twice  saw,  and 
whom  I  suspect  to  be  the  soul  of  the  contrivance,  can 
you  describe  him  ?  Was  he  young  or  old  ?  tall  or 
short  ?  " 

But  Silas,  who,  for  all  his  curiosity,  had  not  a  see- 
ing eye  in  his  head,  was  able  to  supply  nothing  but 
meagre  generalities,  which  it  was  impossible  to  recog- 
nize. 

"I  would  have  it  a  piece  of  education  in  all 
schools  !  "  cried  the  Doctor  angrily.  "  Where  is  the 
use  of  eyesight  and  articulate  speech  if  a  man  cannot 
observe  and  recollect  the  features  of  his  enemy  ?  I, 
who  know  all  the  gangs  of  Europe,  might  have  iden- 
tified him,  and  gained  new  weapons  for  your  defence. 
Cultivate  this  art  in  future,  my  poor  boy;  you  may  find 
it  of  momentous  service." 

"The  future!"  repeated  Silas.  "What  future  is 
there  left  for  me  except  the  gallows  ?  " 

"  Youth  is  but  a  cowardly  season,"  returned  the 
Doctor;  "and  a  man's  own  troubles  look  blacker  than 
they  are.     I  am  old,  and  yet  I  never  despair." 

"  Can  I  tell  such  a  story  to  the  police  ?"  demanded 
Silas. 

"Assuredly  not,"  replied  the  Doctor.     "From  what 


50  Nl  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

already  oflhe  machination  in  which  you  have 
involved,  your  case  is  desperate  upon  that  side; 
and  for  the  i  ye  of  the   authorities  you    are 

infallibly  the  guilty  person.  And  remember  that  we 
only  know  a  portion  of  the'  plot;  and  the  same  infa- 
trivers  have  doubtless  arranged  many  other 
circumstances  which  would  be  elicited  by  a  police 
inquiry,  and  help  to  fix  the  guilt  more  certainly  upon 
your  innocent  <•." 

1  am  then  lost,  indeed  !  "  cried  Silas. 

"  1  have  not  said  so,"  answered  Dr.  Noel,  "for  I  am 
a  cautious  man." 

"But  look  at  this!"  objected  Silas,  pointing  to  the 
body.  ''Here  is  this  object  in  my  bed:  not  to  be 
explained,  not  to  be  disposed  of,  not  to  be  regarded 
without  horror." 

"  Horror?"  replied  the  Doctor.  "No.  When  this 
sort  of  clot  k  has  run  down,  it  is  no  more  to  me  than  an 
niouspii  <  e  of  mechanism,  to  be  investigated  with  the 
ry.  When  blood  is  once  cold  and  stagnant,  it  is 
no  longer  human  blood;  when  flesh  is  once  dead,  it  is 
no  longer  that  flesh  whi<  h  we  desire  in  our  lovers  and 
respect  in  our  friends.  The  grace,  the  attraction,  the 
terror,  have  all  gone  from  it  with  the  animating  spirit. 
Accustom  yourself  to  look  upon  it  with  composure; 
for  if  my  scheme  is  practicable  you  will  have  to  live 
in  constant  proximity  to  that  which  now  so  greatly 
horrifies  you." 

"  Your  scheme  ?  "  cried  Silas.  "  What  is  that  ?  Tell 
me  speedily,  Doctor;  for  I  have  scarcely  courage 
enough  to  continue  to  exist." 

Without  replying,  Dr.  Noel  turned  towards  the  bed, 
and  proceeded  to  examine  the  corpse. 

"Quite  dead,"  he  murmured.  "Yes,  as  I  had  sup- 
posed, the  pockets  empty.  Yes,  and  the  name  cut  off 
the  shirt.  Their  work  has  been  done  thoroughly  and 
well.     Fortunately  he  is  of  small  stature." 

Silas  followed  these  words  with  an  extreme  anxiety. 
At   last     the    Doctor,    his    autopsy    completed,  took 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  5 1 

a  chair  and  addressed  the  young  American  with  a 
smile. 

"  Since  I  came  into  your  room,"  said  he,  "  although 
my  ears  and  my  tongue  have  been  so  busy,  I  have  not 
suffered  my  eyes  to  remain  idle.  I  noted  a  little  while 
ago  that  you  have  there,  in  the  corner,  one  of  those  mon- 
strous constructions  which  your  fellow-countrymen 
carry  with  them  into  all  quarters  of  the  globe — in  a 
word,  a  Saratoga  trunk.  Until  this  moment  I  have 
never  been  able  to  conceive  the  utility  of  these  erec- 
tions; but  then  I  began  to  have  a  glimmer.  Whether 
it  was  for  convenience  in  the  slave  trade,  or  to  obviate 
the  results  of  too  ready  an  employment  of  the  bowie- 
knife,  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  decide.  But  one  thing 
I  see  plainly — the  object  of  such  a  box  is  to  contain  a 
human  body." 

"  Surely,"  cried  Silas,  "  surely  this  is  not  a  time  for 
jesting." 

"  Although  I  may  express  myself  with  some  degree 
of  pleasantry,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  the  purport  of 
my  words  is  entirely  serious.  And  the  first  thing  we 
have  to  do,  my  young  friend,  is  to  empty  your  coffer 
of  all  it  contains." 

Silas,  obeying  the  authority  of  Doctor  Noel,  put 
himself  at  his  disposition.  The  Saratoga  trunk  was 
soon  gutted  of  its  contents,  which  made  a  considerable 
litter  on  the  floor;  and  then — Silas  taking  the  heels 
and  the  Doctor  supporting  the  shoulders — the  body  of 
the  murdered  man  was  carried  from  the  bed,  and, 
after  some  difficulty,  doubled  up  and  inserted  whole 
into  the  empty  box.  With  an  effort  on  the  part  of 
both,  the  lid  was  forced  down  upon  this  unusual  bag- 
gage, and  the  trunk  was  locked  and  corded  by  the 
Doctor's  own  hand,  while  Silas  disposed  of  what  had 
been  taken  out  between  the  closet  and  a  chest  of 
drawers. 

"Now,"  said  the  Doctor,  "the  first  step  has  been 
taken  on  the  way  to  your  deliverance.  To-morrow, 
or  rather  to-day,  it  must  be  your  task  to  allay  the  sus- 


//./  ;  V  NIGHTS. 

•;>  ol  your  porter,  paying  him  all  that  you  owe; 

while  you  may  trust  me  to  make  the  arrangements  net  - 

i  inclusion.     Meantime,  follow  me  to 

my  room,  where  1  .shall    give   you  a  safe  and   powerful 
r,  whatever  you  do,  you  must  have  rest." 
The  next  day  was  the  longest   in   Silas's   memory;    it 
ed  as  if  it  would  never  be  done.     He  denied  him- 
self to  his  friends,  and   sat   in  a  corner  with   his 
fixed  upon  the  Saratoga  trunk  in  dismal  contempla- 
tion.    His  own  former  indiscretions  were  now  returned 
i  him  in  kind;  for  the  observatory  had  been  once 
more  opened,  and  lie  was  conscious  of  an  almost  con- 
tinual   study    from    Madame    Xephyrine's    apartment. 
So  distressing  did   this    become,  that    he    was   at   last 
obliged  to   block  up  the  spy-hole  from  his  own  side; 
and  when   lie  was  thus  secured  from  observation  he 
spent  a  considerable  portion  of  his   time  in  contrite 
and  pra) 
I     te  in  the  evening  Dr.  Noel  entered  the  room  car- 
rying  in  his   iiandapairof   sealed   envelopes  without 
address,  one  somewhat  bulky,  and  the  other  so  slim  as 
em  without  enclosure. 

."he  said,  seating  himself  at  the  table,  "  the 

time  has  now  come   for  me   to   explain  my  plan  for 

salvation.     To-morrow  morning,  at  an  early  hour, 

Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia  returns  to  London,  after 

having   diverted    himself   for   a   few   days    with     the 

Parisian  Carnival.   It  was  my  fortune,  a  good  while  ago, 

■  Colonel  Geraldine,  his  Master  of  the  Horse,  one 

of  those  servio  i  so  common  in  my  profession,  which 

•ver  forgotten  upon  either  side.      I  have  no  need 

plain  to  you  the  nature  of  the   obligation   under 

which  he  was  laid;  suffice  it  to  say  that  I  knew  him 

y  to  serve  me  in  any  practicable  manner.      Now,  it 

was    necessary    for    you    to    gain    London    with    your 

trunk  unopened.     To  this  the  Custom   House  seemed 

to  oppose  a  fatal  difficulty;  but  I  bethought  me  that 

the  1  so  <  onsiderable  a  person  as  the  Prince, 

is,  as  a  matter  of  courtesy,  passed  without   examina- 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  53 

tion  by  the  officers  of  Custom.  I  applied  to  Colonel 
Geraldine,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  favorable 
answer.  To-morrow,  if  you  go  before  six  to  the  hotel 
where  the  Prince  lodges,  your  baggage  will  be  passed 
over  as  a  part  of  his,  and  you  yourself  will  make  the 
journey  as  a  member  of  his  suite." 

"  It  seems  to  me,  as  you  speak,  that  I  have  already 
seen  both  the  Prince  and  Colonel  Geraldine;  I  even 
overheard  some  of  their  conversation  the  other  even- 
ing at  the  Bullier  Ball." 

"  It  is  probable  enough;  for  the  Prince  loves  to  mix 
with  all  societies,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "  Once  arrived 
in  London,"  he  pursued,  "your  task  is  nearly  ended. 
In  this  more  bulky  envelope  I  have  given  you  a  letter 
which  I  dare  not  address;  but  in  the  other  you  will 
find  the  designation  of  the  house  to  which  you  must 
carry  it  along  with  your  box,  which  will  there  be  taken 
from  you  and  not  trouble  you  any  more." 

"Alas!"  said  Silas,  "  I  have  every  wish  to  believe 
you;  but  how  is  it  possible  ?  You  open  up  to  me  a 
bright  prospect,  but,  I  ask  you,  is  my  mind  capable  of 
receiving  so  unlikely  a  solution  ?  Be  more  generous, 
and  let  me  farther  understand  your  meaning." 

The  Doctor  seemed  painfully  impressed. 

"  Boy,"  he  answered,  "you  do  not  know  how  hard  a 
thing  you  ask  of  me.  But  be  it  so.  I  am  now  inured 
to  humiliation;  and  it  would  be  strange  if  I  refused 
you  this,  after  having  granted  you  so  much.  Know, 
then,  that  although  I  now  make  so  quiet  an  appear- 
ance—frugal, solitary,  addicted  to  study — when  I  was 
younger,  my  name  was  once  a  rallying-cry  among  the 
most  astute  and  dangerous  spirits  of  London;  and 
while  I  was  outwardly  an  object  for  respect  and  con- 
sideration, ray  true  power  resided  in  the  most  secret, 
terrible,  and  criminal  relations.  It  is  one  of  the  per- 
sons who  then  obeyed  me  that  I  now  address  myself 
to  deliver  you  from  your  burden.  They  were  men  of 
many  different  nations  and  dexterities,  all  bound 
together  by    a  formidable  oath,  and  working  to    the 


;  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

same  purposes;  the  trade  ol  the  association  was  in 
murder;  and  I  who  speak  to  you,  innocent  as  I 
appear,  was  the  chieftain  of  this  redoubtable  crew." 

What?"  cried    Silas.     "A    murderer?     Anil,  one 
with  whom  murdei  was  a  trade?     Can    I   take  your 

hand?      Ought  I  to  SO  much  as   accept    your   services? 
Dark  and  criminal  old  man,  would  you  make  an  acconv 
'/h  .;nd  my  distress  ? " 

The  Doctor  bitterly  laughed. 

"  Vmi  are  difficult  to  please,  Mr.  Scuddamore,"  said 
he;  "hut  1  now  offer  you  your  choice  of  company 
between  the  murdered  man  and  the  murderer.  If 
your  conscience  is  too  nice  to  accept  my  aid,  say  so, 
and  1  will  immediately  leave  you.  Thenceforward 
can  deal  with  your  trunk  and  its  belongings  as 
best  suits  your  upright  conscience." 

"I  own   myself  wrong,"  replied  Silas.     "I  should 

have  remembered  how  generously  you  offered  to  shield 

me,  even   before    1    had  convinced  you   of   my  inno- 

.  and  I  continue  to  listen  to   your  connscls  with 

gratitude." 

"  That  is  well,"  returned  the  Doctor;  "and  I  per- 
ceive you  are  beginning  to  learn  some  of  the  lessons 
of  experience." 

"At  the  same  time,"  resumed  the  New-Englander, 
"  as  you  confess  yourself  accustomed  to  this  tragical 
business,  and  the  people  to  whom  you  recommend  me 
are  your  own  former  associates  and  friends,  could  you 
not  yourself  undertake  the  transport  of  the  box,  and 
rid  me  at  once  of  its  detested  presence  ?" 

■  :i  my  word,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "I  admire 
you  cordially.  If  you  do  not  think  I  have  already 
meddled  suffii  iently  in  your  concerns,  believe  me, 
from  my  heart  I  think  the  contrary.  Take  or  leave 
my  services  as  I  offer  them;  and  trouble  me  with  no 
words  of  gratitude,  for  I  value  your  consideration 
more  lightly  thin  I  do  your  intellect.  A  time 
will  come,  if  you  should  be  spared  to  see  a  number  of 
years  in  health  and  mind,  when  you  will  think  differ* 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  55 

ently  of  all  this,  and  blush  for  your  to-night's  beha- 
vior." 

So  saying,  the  Doctor  arose  from  his  chair,  repeated 
his  directions  briefly  and  clearly,  and  departed  from 
the  room  without  permitting  Silas  any  time  to  answer. 

The  next  morning  Silas  presented  himself  at  the 
hotel,  where  he  was  politely  received  by  Colonel  Ger- 
aldine,  and  relieved,  from  that  moment,  of  all  imme- 
diate alarm  about  his  trunk  and  its  grisly  contents. 
The  journey  passed  over  without  much  incident, 
although  the  young  man  was  horrified  to  overhear  the 
sailors  and  railway  porters  complaining  among  them- 
selves about  the  unusual  weight  of  the  Prince's  bag- 
gage. Silas  traveled  in  a  carriage  with  the  valets,  for 
Prince  Florizel  chose  to  be  alone  with  his  Master  of 
the  Horse.  On  board  the  steamer,  however,  Silas 
attracted  his  Highness's  attention  by  the  melancholy 
of  his  air  and  attitude  as  he  stood  gazing  at  the  pile  of 
baggage;  for  he  Avas  still  full  of  disquietude  about  the 
future. 

"  There  is  a  young  man,"  observed  the  Prince,  "  who 
must  have  some  cause  for  sorrow." 

"That,"  replied  Geraldinc,  "is  the  American  for 
whom  I  obtained  permission  to  travel  with  your  suite." 

"  You  remind  me  that  I  have  been  remiss  in  cour- 
tesy," said  Prince  Florizel,  and  advancing  to  Silas,  he 
addressed  him  with  the  most  exquisite  condescension 
in  these  words, 

"  I  was  charmed,  young  sir,  to  be  able  to  gratify  the 
desire  you  made  known  to  me  through  Colonel  Ger- 
aldinc. Remember,  if  you  please,  that  I  shall  be  glad 
at  any  future  time  to  lay  you  under  a  more  serious 
obligation." 

And  then  he  put  some  questions  as  to  the  political 
condition  of  America,  which  Silas  answered  with  sense 
and  propriety. 

"  You  are  still  a  young  man,"  said  the  Prince;  "but 
I  observe  you  to  be  very  serious  for  your  years.  Per- 
haps you  allow  your  attention  to  be  too  much  occu- 


56  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

with  grave  studies.  But,  perhaps,  on  the  othet 
hand,  I  am  myself  indiscreet  and  tou<  h  upon  a  pain- 
ful subject." 

"  1  have  certainly  cause  to  be  the  most  miserable  of 
men,"  said  Silas;  "never  has  a  more  innocent  person 
been  more  dismally  abused." 

"1  will  not  ask  you  for  your  confidence,"  returned 

Prince    Florizel.     "But   do    not    forget    that   Colonel 

Idine's  recommendation  is  an  unfailing  passport; 

and  that  L  am  not  only  willing,  but  possibly  more  able 

than  many  others,  to  do  you  a  servi( 

Silas  was  delighted  with  the  amiability  of  this  great 

mage;  but  his  mind  soon  returned  upon  its  gloomy 

preoccupations;  for  not  even  the  favor  of  a  Prince  to 

a  Republican  can  discharge  a  brooding  spirit  of  its 

cares. 

The  train  arrived  at  Charing  Cross,  where  the  offi- 
of  the  Revenue  respected  the  baggage  of  I'rince 
Florizel  in  the  usual  manner.  The  most  elegant 
equipages  were  in  waiting ;  and  Silas  was  driven, 
along  with  the  rest,  to  the  Prince's  residence.  There 
Colonel  Geraldine  sought  him  out,  and  expressed  him- 
self pleased  to  have  been  of  any  service  to  a  friend  of 
the  physician's,  for  whom  he  professed  a  great  consid- 
eration. 

"I  hope,"  he  added,  "that  you  will  find  none  of 
your  porcelain  injured.  Special  orders  were  given 
along  the  line  to  deal  tenderly  with  the  Prince's 
is." 

And  then,  directing  the  servants  to  place  one  of  the 

carriages  at  the  young  gentleman's  disposal,   and   at 

to  charge   the  Saratoga  trunk   upon  the  dickey, 

the    Colonel    shook    hands    and    excused    himself    on 

lint  of  his  occupations  in  the  princely  household. 

Silas  now  broke  the  seal  of  the  envelope  containing 
the  address,  and  dire*  ted  the  stately  footman  to  drive 
him  to  Pox  Court,  opening  off  the  Strand.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  [dace  were  not  at  all  unknown  to  the  man,  for 
he  looked  startled  and  begged  a  repetition  of  the  order 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  $J 

It  Was  with  a  heart  full  of  alarms,  that  Silas  mounted 
into  the  luxurious  vehicle,  and  was  driven  to  his  des- 
tination. The  entrance  to  Box  Court  was  too  narrow 
for  the  passage  of  a  coach  ;  it  was  a  mere  footway 
between  railings,  with  a  post  at  either  end.  On  one  of 
these  posts  was  seated  a  man,  who  at  once  jumped 
down  and  exchanged  a  friendly  sign  with  the  driver, 
while  the  footman  opened  the  door  and  inquired  of 
Silas  whether  he  should  take  down  the  Saratoga  trunk, 
and  to  what  number  it  should  be  carried. 

"  If  you  please,"  said  Silas.     "  To  number  three." 

The  footman  and  the  man  who  had  been  sitting  on 
the  post,  even  with  the  aid  of  Silas  himself,  had  hard 
work  to  carry  in  the  trunk  ;  and  before  it  was  depos- 
ited at  the  door  of  the  house  in  question,  the  young 
American  was  horrified  to  find  a  score  of  loiterers 
looking  on.  But  he  knocked  with  as  good  a  counte- 
nance as  he  could  muster  up,  and  presented  the  other 
envelope  to  him  who  opened. 

"  He  is  not  at  home,"  said  he,  "but  if  you  will  leave 
your  letter  and  return  to-morrow  early,  I  shall  be  able 
to  inform  you  whether  and  when  he  can  receive  your 
visit.  Would  you  like  to  leave  your  box  ? "  he 
added. 

"  Dearly,"  cried  Silas  ;  and  the  next  moment  he 
repented  his  precipitation,  and  declared,  with  equal 
emphasis,  that  he  would  rather  carry  the  box  along 
with  him  to  the  hotel. 

The  crowd  jeered  at  his  indecision  and  followed  him 
to  the  carriage  with  insulting  remarks  ;  and  Silas,  cov- 
ered with  shame  and  terror,  implored  the  servants  to 
conduct  him  to  some  quiet  and  comfortable  house  of 
entertainment  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

The  Prince's  equipage  deposited  Silas  at  the  Craven 
Hotel  in  Craven  Street,  and  immediately  drove  away, 
leaving  him  alone  with  the  servants  of  the  inn.  The 
only  vacant  room,  it  appeared,  was  a  little  den  up  four 
pairs  of  stairs,  and  looking  towards  the  back.  To  this 
hermitage,  with  infinite  trouble  and  complaint,  a  pair 


58  NEW  ARABIAN  XI CUTS. 

of  stout  porters  carried  the  Saratoga  trunk.  It  is 
needless  to  mention  that  Silas  kepi  closely  at  their 

heels  throughout  the  ascent,  and  had  his  heart  in  his 
mouth  at  every  corner.  A  single  false  step,  he 
reflected,  and  the  box  might  go  over  the  bannisters  and 

land  its  fatal  contents,  plainly  discovered,  on  the  pave- 
ment of  the  hall. 

Arrived  in  the  room,  lie  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  his 
bed  to  recover  from  the  agony  that  lie  had  just  endured; 
but  he  had  hardly  taken  his  position  when  he  was 
recalled  to  a  sense  of  his  peril  by  the  action  of  the 
boots,  who  had  knelt  beside  the  trunk,  and  was 
proceeding  officiously  to    undo  its    elaborate    fasten- 

in£s- 

"  Let  it  be  !  "  cried  Silas.     "  I  shall  want  nothing 

from  it  while  I  stay  here." 

"  You  might  have  let  it  lie  in  the  hall,  then,"  growled 
the  man;  "a  thing  as  big  and  heavy  as  a  church. 
What  you  have  inside,  I  cannot  fancy.  If  it  is  all 
money,  you  are  a  richer  man  than  me." 

"Money?"  repeated  Silas,  in  a  sudden  perturba- 
tion. "  \\"hat  do  you  mean  by  money  ?  I  have  no 
money,  and  you  are  speaking  like  a  fool." 

"All  right,  Captain,"  retorted  the  boots  with  a  wink. 
"  There's  nobody  will  touch  your  lordship's  money. 
I'm  as  safe  as  the  bank,"  he  added  ;  **  but  as  the  box 
is  heavy,  I  shouldn't  mind  drinking  something  to  your 
lordship's  health." 

Silas  pressed  two  Napoleons  upon  his  acceptance, 
apologizing,  at  the  same  time,  for  being  obliged  to 
trouble  him  with  foreign  money,  and  pleading  his 
recent  arrival  for  excuse.  And  the  man,  grumbling 
with  even  greater  fervor,  and  looking  contemptuously 
from  the  money  in  his  hand  to  the  Saratoga  trunk  and 
back  again  from  the  one  to  the  other,  at  last  consented 
to  withdraw. 

For  nearly  two  days  the  dead  body  had  been  packed 
into  Silas's  box  ;  and  as  soon  as  he  was  alone  the 
unfortunate  New-Englander  loosed  all  the  cracks  and 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  59 

openings  with  the  most  passionate  attention.  But  the 
weather  was  cool,  and  the  trunk  still  managed  to  con- 
tain his  shocking  secret. 

He  took  a  chair  beside  it,  and  buried  his  face  in  his 
hands,  and  his  mind  in  the  most  profound  reflection. 
If  he  were  not  speedily  relieved,  no  question  but  he 
must  be  speedily  discovered.  Alone  in  a  strange  city, 
without  friends  or  accomplices,  if  the  Doctor's  intro- 
duction failed  him,  he  was  indubitably  a  lost  New- 
Englander.  He  reflected  pathetically  over  his  ambi- 
tious designs  for  the  future  ;  he  should  not  now  become 
the  hero  and  spokesman  of  his  native  place  of  Bangor, 
Maine ;  he  should  not,  as  he  had  fondly  anticipated, 
move  on  from  office  to  office,  from  honor  to  honor  ;  he 
might  as  well  divest  himself  at  once  of  all  hope  of  being 
acclaimed  President  of  the  United  States,  and  leaving 
behind  him  a  statue,  in  the  worst  possible  style  of  art, 
to  adorn  the  Capitol  at  Washington.  Here  he  was, 
chained  to  a  dead  Englishman  doubled  up  inside  a 
Saratoga  trunk  ;  whom  he  must  get  rid  ot,  or  perish 
from  the  rolls  of  national  glory  ! 

I  should  be  afraid  to  chronicle  the  language  employed 
by  this  young  man  to  the  Doctor,  to  the  murdered  man, 
to  Madame  Zephyrine,  to  the  boots  of  the  hotel,  to  the 
Prince's  servants,  and,  in  a  word,  to  all  who  had  been 
ever  so  remotely  connected  with  his  horrible  misfor- 
tune. 

He  slunk  down  to  dinner  about  seven  at  night ;  but 
the  yellow  coffee-room  appalled  him,  the  eyes  of  the 
other  diners  seemed  to  rest  on  his  with  suspicion,  and 
his  mind  remained  upstairs  with  the  Saratoga  trunk. 
"When  the  waiter  came  to  offer  him  cheese,  his  nerves 
were  already  so  much  on  edge  that  he  leaped  half-way 
out  of  his  chair  and  upset  the  remainder  of  a  pint  of 
ale  upon  the  table-cloth. 

The  fellow  offered  to  show  him  the  smoking-room 
when  he  had  done  ;  and  although  he  would  have  much 
preferred  to  return  at  once  to  his  perilous  treasure,  he 
had  not  the  courage  to  refuse,  and  was  shown  down- 


V  ARABIAN  MCll  is. 

stairs  to  the  black,  gas-lit  cellar,  which  formed,  and 

I  >ly  still  forms,  the  divan  of  the  Craven  Hotel. 

Two  very  sail  betting  men  were  playing  billiards, 
attended  by  a  moist,  consumptive  marker;  and  for 
the  moment  Silas  imagined  that  these  were  the  only 
occupants  of  the  apartment.  But  at  the  next  glance 
his  eve  fell  upon  a  person  smoking  in  the  farthest  cor- 
ner, with  lowered  eyes  and  a  most  respectable  and 
mod  He  knew  at  onee  that  he  had  seen  the 

before  ;    and  in   spite   of   the   entire   change   of 
clothes,  recognized  the  man  whom  he  had  found  Si 
on  a  post  at  the  entrance  to  Box  Court,  and  who  had 
helped  him  to  carry  the  trunk  to  and  from  the  carriage. 
The  N  lander  simply  turned  and  ran,  nor  did  he 

pause  until  he  had  locked  and  bolted  himself  into  his 
bedroom. 

There,  all  night  long,  a  prey  to  the  most  terrible 
imaginations,  he  watched  b  ide  the  fatal  boxful  of 
dead  flesh.  The  suggestion  of  the  boots  that  his  trunk 
was  full  of  gold  inspired  him  with  all  manner  of  new 
terrors,  if  he  so  much  as  dared  to  close  an  eye  ;  and 
the  presence  in  the  smoking-room,  and  under  an  obvious 
disguise,  of  the  loiterer  from  Box  Court  convinced  him 
that  he  was  once  more  the  centre  of  obscure  machination. 

Midnight  had  sounded  some  time,  when,  impelled 
by  uneasy  suspicions,  £  tied  his  bedroom  door 

and  peered  into  the  passage.  It  was  dimly  illuminated 
by  a  single  jet  of  gas  ;  and  some  distance  off  he  per- 
ceived a  man  sleeping  on  the  floor  in  the  costume  of  an 
hotel  under-servant.  Silas  drew  near  the  man  on  tip- 
He  lay  partly  on  his  back,  partly  on  his  side,  and 
his   r  rm  concealed  his  face  from  recognition. 

Suddenly,  while  the  American  was  still  bending  over 
him,  the  sleeper  removed  Ids  arm  and  opened  his  eyes, 
and  Silas  found  himself  once  more  face  to  face  with 
the  loiterer  of  box  Court. 

"  <  rood  night,  sir,"  said  the  man,  pleasantly. 

But  Silas  was  too  profoundly  moved  to  find  an 
answer,  and  regained  his  room  in  silence. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  61 

Towards  morning,  worn  out  by  apprehension,  he  fell 
asleep  on  his  chair,  with  his  head  forward  on  the  trunk. 
In  spite  of  so  constrained  an  attitude  and  such  a  grisly 
pillow,  his  slumber  was  sound  and  prolonged,  and  he 
was  only  awakened  at  a  late  hour  and  by  a  sharp  tap- 
ping at  the  door. 

He  hurried  to  open,  and  found  the  boots  without. 

"  You  are  the  gentleman  who  called  yesterday  at 
Box  Court  ?  "  he  asked. 

Silas,  with  a  quaver,  admitted  that  he  had  done  so. 

"  Then  this  note  is  for  you,"  added  the  servant,  prof- 
fering a  sealed  envelope. 

Silas  tore  it  open,  and  found  inside  the  words : 
"  Twelve  o'clock." 

He  was  punctual  to  the  hour  ;  the  trunk  was  carried 
before  him  by  several  stout  servants ;  and  he  was  him- 
self ushered  into  a  room,  where  a  man  sat  warming  him- 
self before  the  fire  with  his  back  towards  the  door.  The 
sound  of  so  many  persons  entering  and  leaving,  and  the 
scraping  of  the  trunk  as  it  was  deposited  upon  the  bare 
boards,  were  alike  unable  to  attract  the  notice  of  the 
occupant ;  and  Silas  stood  waiting,  in  an  agony  of 
fear,  until  he  should  deign  to  recognize  his  presence. 

Perhaps  five  minutes  had  elapsed  before  the  man 
turned  leisurely  about,  and  disclosed  the  features  of 
Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia. 

"So,  sir,"  he  said  with  great  severity,  "this  is  the 
manner  in  which  you  abuse  my  politeness.  You  join 
yourselves  to  persons  of  condition,  I  perceive,  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  escape  the  consequences  of 
your  crimes  ;  and  I  can  readily  understand  your 
embarrassment  when  I  addressed  myself  to  you  yes- 
terday." 

"  Indeed,"  cried  Silas,  "  I  am  innocent  of  everything 
except  misfortune." 

And  in  a  hurried  voice,  and  with  the  greatest  ingen- 
uousness, he  recounted  to  the  Prince  the  whole  history 
of  his  calamity. 

"I    sec   I    have   been    mistaken,"  said  his  I  Ugliness, 


.\7  I/'  ARABIAN  XI CUTS. 

when  he  had  heard  him  to  an  end.     "  You  are  no  other 

than  a  victim,  and  since  I  am  not  to  punish  you,  you 

be  sure  1  shall  do  my  utmosl  t<>  help.     And  now," 

he  continued,  "  to  business.     Open,  your  box  at  once, 

and  let  me  sec  what  it  <  ontains." 
Silas  (  hanged  color. 
"  I  almost  fear  to  look  upon  it,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Nay,-'  replied  the  Prime,  "have  you  not  looked  at 
it  already  ?  This  is  a  form  of  sentimentality  to  be 
ted.  The  sight  of  a  sick  man,  whom  we  (  an  still 
help,  should  appeal  more  directly  to  the  feelings  than 
that  of  a  dead  man  who  is  equally  beyond  help  or 
harm,  love  or  hatred.  Nerve  yourself,  Mr.  Scudda- 
more,"  and  then,  seeing  that  Silas  still  hesitated,  "I 
do  not  desire  to  give  another  name  to  my  request,"  he 
added. 

The  young  American  awoke  as  if  out  of  a  dream,  and 
with  a  shiver  of  repugnance  addressed  himself  to  loose 
the  straps  and  open  the  lock  of  the  Saratoga  trunk. 
The  Prince  stood  by,  watching  with  a  composed  coun- 
tenance and  his  hands  behind  his  hack.  The  body 
was  quite  stiff,  and  it  cost  Silas  a  great  effort,  both 
1  and  physical,  to  dislodge  it  from  its  position,  and 
>ver  the  face. 

Prince  Florizel  started  back  with  an  exclamation  of 
painful  surprise. 

"Alas!"  he  cried,  "you  little  know,  Mr.  Scudda- 
more,  what  a  cruel  gift  you  have  brought  me.  This  is 
a  young  man  of  my  own  suite,  the  brother  of  my 
trusted  friend;  and  it  was  upon  matters  of  my  own 
service  that  he  has  thus  perished  at  the  hands  of  vio- 
lent and  treacherous  men.  Poor  Geraldine,"  he  went 
on,  as  if  to  himself,  "in  what  words  am  I  to  tell  you 
of  your  brother's  fate?  How  can  I  excuse  myself  in 
your-  ■;.  •-.  i  r  in  the  eyes  of  God,  for  the  presumptuous 
schemes  that  led  him  to  this  bloody  and  unnatural 
death?  Ah,  Florizel!  Florizel!  when  will  you  learn 
the  d  i    that  suits  mortal  life,  and  be  no  longer 

dazx'  the   image   of  power   at  your  disposal? 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  63 

Power  !"  he  cried  ;  "who  is  more  powerless?  I  look 
upon  this  young  man  whom  I  have  sacrificed,  Mr. 
Scuddamore,  and  feel  how  small  a  thing  it  is  to  be  a 
Prince." 

Silas  was  moved  at  the  sight  of  his  emotion.  He 
tried  to  murmur  some  consolatory  words,  and  burst 
into  tears.  The  Prince,  touched  by  his  obvious 
intention,  came  up  to  him  and  took  him  by  the  hand. 

"Command  yourself,"  said  he.  "We  have  both 
much  to  learn,  and  we  shall  both  be  better  men  for 
to-day's  meeting." 

Silas  thanked  him  in  silence  with  an  affectionate 
look. 

"  Write  me  the  address  of  Doctor  Noel  on  this  piece 
of  paper,"  continued  the  Prince,  leading  him  towards 
the  table  ;  "  and  let  me  recommend  you,  when  you  are 
again  in  Paris,  to  avoid  the  society  of  that  dangerous 
man.  He  has  acted  in  this  matter  on  a  generous 
inspiration  ;  that  I  must  believe  ;  had  he  been  privy 
to  young  Geraldine's  death  he  would  never  have 
despatched  the  body  to  the  care  of  the  actual  crimi- 
nal." 

"  The  actual  criminal  !"  repeated  Silas  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Even  so,"  returned  the  Prince.  "  This  letter, 
which  the  disposition  of  Almighty  Providence  has  so 
strangely  delivered  into  my  hands,  was  addressed  to 
no  less  a  person  than  the  criminal  himself,  the  infamous 
President  of  the  Suicide  Club.  Seek  to  pry  no  further 
in  these  perilous  affairs,  but  content  yourself  with 
your  own  miraculous  escape,  and  leave  this  house  at 
once.  I  have  pressing  affairs,  and  must  arrange  at 
once  about  this  poor  clay,  which  was  so  lately  a  gallant 
and  handsome  youth." 

Silas  took  a  grateful  and  submissive  leave  of  Prince 
Florizel,  but  he  lingered  in  Box  Court  until  he  saw  him 
depart  in  a  splendid  carriage  on  a  visit  to  Colonel  Hen- 
derson of  the  police.  Republican  as  he  was,  the  young 
American  took  off  his  hat  with  almost  a  sentiment  of 


NEW  ARABIA  V  NIGHTS. 

tion    to  the   retreating  carriage.     And  the  same 
night  he  started  by  rail  on  his  return  to  Paris. 

Here  (observes  my  Arabian  Author)  is  the  end  of 
The  History  01  the  Physician  andthe  Saratoga 
Trunk.  Omitting  some  reflections  on  the  power  of  Prov- 
Jily  pertinent  in  the  original,  but  little  suited  to 
our  occidental  taste,  I  shall  only  mid  that  Mr.  Scuddamore 
has  already  begun  to  mount  the  ladder  of  political  fame, 
and  by  last  advices  was  the  Sheriff  of  his  native  town. 


THE  AD  VENTURE  OF  THE  HANSOM  CAB. 


Lieutenant  Brackenbury  Rich  had  greatly  distin- 
guished himself  in  one  of  the  lesser  Indian  hill  wars. 
He  it  was  who  took  the  chieftain  prisoner  with  his  own 
hand;  his  gallantry  was  universally  applauded;  and 
when  he  came  home,  prostrated  by  an  ugly  sabre  cut 
and  a  protracted  jungle  fever,  society  was  prepared  to 
welcome  the  Lieutenant  as  a  celebrity  of  minor  luster. 
But  his  was  a  character  remarkable  for  unaffected 
modesty;  adventure  was  dear  to  his  heart,  but  he  cared 
little  for  adulation;  and  he  waited  at  foreign  watering- 
places  and  in  Algiers  until  the  fame  of  his  exploits 
had  run  through  it's  nine  day's  vitality  and  begun  to 
be  forgotten.  He  arrived  in  London  at  last,  in  the 
early  season, with  as  little  observation  as  he  could  desire; 
and  as  he  was  an  orphan  and  had  none  but  distant 
relatives  who  lived  in  the  provinces,  it  was  almost 
as  a  foreigner  that  he  installed  himself  in  the  capital 
of  the  country  for  which  he  had  shed  his  blood. 

On  the  day  following  his  arrival  he  dined  alone  at  a 
military  club.  He  shook  hands  with  a  few  old  com- 
rades, and  received  their  congratulations;  but  as  one 
and  all  had  some  engagement  for  the  evening,  he  found 
himself  left  entirely  to  his  own  resources.  He  was  in 
dress,  for  he  had  entertained  the  notion  of  visiting  a 
theater.  But  the  great  city  was  new  to  him;  he  had 
gone  from  a  provincial  school  to  a  military  college, 
and  thence  direct  to  the  Eastern  Empire;  and  he 
promised  himself  a  variety  of  delights  in  this  world 
for  exploration.  Swinging  his  cane,  he  took  his  way 
westward.  It  was  a  mild  evening,  already  dark,  and 
now  and  then  threatening  rain.  The  succession  of 
faces  in  the  lamplight  stirred  the  Lieutenant's  imagin- 
ation; and  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  could  walk  forever 
65 


.-.     W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

in  that  stimulating  city  atmosphere  and  surrounded  by 
the  mystery  of  lour  million  private  lives.  He  giant  ea 
at  the  houses,  and  marvelled  w  passing  behind 

those  warmly-lighted  windows;    he   looked  into  i'.u-c 

after  face,  and  saw  them  eai  h  intent  upon  some 
unknown  interest,  criminal  or  kindly. 

"They  talk  of  war,"  he  thought,  "  but  this  is  the 
great  battlefield  of  mankind." 

And  then  he  began  to  wonder  that  he  should  walk 
so  long  in  this  complicated  scene,  and  not  chance  upon 
so  much  as  the  shadow  of  an  adventure  for  himself. 

"All  in  good  time,"  he  reflected.  "I  am  still  a 
stranger,  and  perhaps  wear  a  strange  air.  But  I  must 
be  drawn  into  the  eddy  before  long." 

The  night  was  already  well  advanced,  when  a  plump 
of  cold  rain  fell  suddenly  out  of  the  darkness. 
Brackenbury  paused  under  some  trees,  and  as  he  did 
so  he  caught  sight  of  a  hansom  cabman  making  him 
a  sign  that  he  was  disengaged.  The  circumstance  fell 
in  so  happily  to  the  occasion  that  he  at  once  raised  his 
cane  in  answer,  and  had  soon  ensconced  himself  in  the 
London  gondola. 

"  Where  to,  sir  ?  "  asked  the  driver. 

"  Where  you  please,"  said  Brackenbury. 

And  immediately,  at  a  pace  of  surprising  swiftness, 
the  hansom  drove  off  through  the  rain  into  a  maze  of 
villas.  One  villa  was  so  like  another,  each  with  its 
front  garden,  and  there  was  so  little  to  distinguish  the 
deserted  lamp-lit  streets  and  crescents  through  which 
the  flying  hansom  took  its  way,  that  Brackenbury  soon 
lost  all  idea  of  direction.  He  would  have  been  con- 
tented to  believe  that  the  cabman  was  amusing  himself 
by  driving  him  round  and  round  and  in  and  out  about 
a  small  quarter,  but  there  was  something  businesslike 
in  the  speed  whi<  h  convinced  him  of  the  contrary. 
The  man  had  an  object  in  view,  he  was  hastening  tow- 
ards a  definite  end;  and  Brackenbury  was  at  once 
astonished  at  the  fellow's  skill  in  picking  a  way  through 
such    a   labyrinth,  and  a  little  concerned  to  imagine 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  67 

what  was  the  occasion  of  his  hurry.  He  had  heard 
tales  ot  strangers  falling  ill  in  London.  Did  the  driver 
belong  to  some  bloody  and  treacherous  association  ?  and 
was  he  himself  being  whirled  to  a  murderous  death  ? 

The  thought  had  scarcely  presented  itself,  when  the 
cab  swung  sharply  round  a  corner  and  pulled  up  before 
the  garden  gate  of  a  villa  in  a  long  and  wide  road. 
The  house  was  brilliantly  lighted  up.  Another  hansom 
had  just  driven  away,  and  Brackenbury  could  see  a 
gentleman  being  admitted  at  the  front  door  and 
received  by  several  liveried  servants.  He  was  sur- 
prised that  the  cabman  should  have  stopped  so  imme- 
diately in  front  of  a  house  where  a  reception  was  being 
held;  but  he  did  not  doubt  it  was  the  result  of  acci- 
dent, and  sat  placidly  smoking  where  he  was,  until  he 
heard  the  trap  thrown  open  over  his  head. 

"  Here  we  are,  sir,"  said  the  driver. 

"  Here;  "  repeated  Brackenbury.     "  Where  ?  " 

"  You  told  me  to  take  you  where  I  pleased,  sir/' 
returned  the  man  with  a  chuckle,  "  and  here  we  are." 

It  struck  Brackenbury  that  the  voice  was  wonder- 
fully smooth  and  courteous  for  a  man  in  so  inferior  a 
position;  he  remembered  the  speed  at  which  he  had 
been  driven;  and  now  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  han- 
som was  more  luxuriously  appointed  than  the  common 
run  of  public  conveyances. 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  explain,"  said  he.  "  Do  you 
mean  to  turn  me  out  into  the  rain?  My  good  man,  I 
suspect  the  choice  is  mine." 

"The  choice  is  certainly  yours,"  replied  the  driver; 
"but  when  I  tell  you  all,  I  believe  I  know  how  a  gen- 
tleman of  your  figure  will  decide.  There  is  a  gentle- 
men's party  in  this  house.  I  do  not  know  whether  the 
master  be  a  stranger  to  London  and  without  acquaint- 
ances of  his  own;  or  whether  he  is  a  man  of  odd 
notions.  But  certainly  1  was  hired  to  kidnap  single 
gentlemen  in  evening  dress,  as  many  as  I  pleased,  but 
military  officers  by  preference.  You  have  simply  to 
go  in  and  say  that  Mr.  Morris  invited  you." 


6S  /      HTS. 

"Arc  you  Mr.  Morris?"  inquired  the  Lieutenant. 
"  ( >h,  no,"  replied  the  cabman.     "  Mr.  Morris  is  the 
:  the  hou 

"  It  is  Dot  .1  <  <  ininon  way  of  collecting  guests,"  said 

kenbury;  "but  an  eo  entric  man  might  very  well 

indulge   the  whim  without   any  intention    to  offend. 

And  suppose  that  I  refuse  Mr.  Morris's  invitation,"  he 

went  en,  "what  then  ? " 

"  My  ciders  are  to  drive  you  back  where  I  took  you 
from,"  replied  the  man,  "'and  set  out  to  look  for  others 
up  to  midnight.  Those  who  have  no  fancy  for  such 
an  adventure,  Mr.  Morris  said,  were  not  the  guests  for 
him." 

These  words  decided  the  Lieutenant  on  the  spot. 

"After  all,"  he  reflected,  as  he  descended  from  the 
hansom,  '  I  have  not  had  long  to  wait  for  my  adven- 
ture." 

He  had  hardly  found  footing  on  the  side-walk,  and 
was  still  feeling  in  his  pocket  for  the  fare,  when  the 
cab  swung  about  and  drove  off  by  the  way  it  came  at 
the  former  break-neck  velocity.  Brackenbury  shouted 
after  the  man,  who  paid  no  heed,  and  continued  to 
drive  away;  but  the  sound  of  his  voice  was  overheard 
in  the  house,  the  door  was  again  thrown  open,  emitting 
a  flood  of  light  upon  the  garden,  and  a  servant  ran 
down  to  meet  him  holding  an  umbrella. 

"  The  cabman  has  been  paid,"  observed  the  servant 
in  a  very  civil  tone;  and  he  proceeded  to  escort 
kenbury  along  the  path  and  up  the  steps.  In  the 
hall  several  other  attendants  relieved  him  of  his  hat, 
cane,  and  paletot,  gave  him  a  ticket  with  a  number  in 
return,  and  politely  hurried  him  up  a  stair  adorned 
with  tropical  flowers,  to  the  door  of  an  apartment  on 
the  first  story.  Here  a  grave  butler  inquired  his 
name,  and  announcing  "  Lieutenant  Brackenbury 
Ri<  h,"  ushered  him  into  the  drawing-room  of  the 
hoi; 

A  young  man,  slender  and  singularly  handsome, 
came  forward  and  greeted  him  with  an  air  at  tJ.ce 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  69 

courtly  and  affectionate.  Hundreds  of  candles,  of  the 
finest  wax,  lit  up  a  room  that  was  perfumed,  like  the 
staircase,  with  a  profusion  of  rare  and  beautiful  flow- 
ering shrubs.  A  side-table  was  loaded  with  tempting 
viands.  Several  servants  went  to  and  fro  with  fruits 
and  goblets  of  champagne.  The  company  was  per- 
haps sixteen  in  number,  all  men,  few  beyond  the  prime 
of  life,  and  with  hardly  an  exception,  of  a  dashing  and 
capable  exterior.  They  were  divided  into  two  groups, 
one  about  a  roulette  board,  and  the  other  surrounding 
a  table  at  which  one  of  their  number  held  a  bank  of 
baccarat. 

"  I  see,"  thought  Brackenbury,  "I  am  in  a  private 
gambling  saloon,  and  the  cabman  was  a  tout." 

His  eye  had  embraced  the  details,  and  his  mind 
formed  the  conclusion,  while  his  host  was  still  holding 
him  by  the  hand;  and  to  him  his  looks  returned  from 
this  rapid  survey.  At  a  second  view  Mr.  Morris  sur- 
prised him  still  more  than  on  the  first.  The  easy 
elegance  of  his  manners,  the  distinction,  amiability, 
and  courage  that  appeared  upon  his  features,  fitted 
very  ill  with  the  Lieutenant's  preconceptions  on  the 
subject  of  the  proprietor  of  a  hell;  and  the  tone  of  his 
conversation  seemed  to  mark  him  out  for  a  man  of 
position  and  merit.  Brackenbury  found  he  had  an 
instinctive  liking  for  his  entertainer;  and  though  he 
chid  himself  for  the  weakness  he  was  unable  to  resist  a 
sort  of  friendly  attraction  for  Mr.  Morris's  person  and 
character. 

"  I  have  heard  of  you,  Lieutenant  Rich,"  said  Mr. 
Morris,  lowering  his  tone;  ''and  believe  me  I  am  grati- 
fied to  make  your  acquaintance.  Your  looks  accord 
with  the  reputation  that  has  preceded  you  from  India. 
And  if  you  will  forget  for  a  while  the  irregularity  of 
your  presentation  in  my  house,  I  shall  feel  it  not  only 
an  honor,  but  genuine  pleasure  besides.  A  man  who 
makes  a  mouthful  of  barbarian  cavaliers,"  he  added 
with  a  laugh,  "  should  not  be  appalled  by  a  breach  of 
etiquette,  however  serious." 


;o  W  ARABIAN  A  IGIITS. 

And  he  led  him  towards  the  sideboard  and  pressed 
him  to  partake  of  some  refreshments. 

"Upon  my  word,"  the  Lieutenant  reflected,  "this  is 
of  the  pleasantest  fellows  and,  I  do  not  doubt,  one 
e  most  agreeable  societies  in  London." 

He  partook  of  some  champagne,  which  he  found 
'.lent;  and  observing  that  many  of  the  company 
were  already  smoking,  he  lit  one  of  his  own  Manillas, 
and  strolled  up  to  the  roulette  board,  where  he  some- 
times made  a  stake  and  sometimes  looked  on  smilingly 
On  the  fortune  of  others.  It  was  while  he  was  thus 
idling  that  he  became  aware  of  a  sharp  scrutiny  to 
which  the  whole  of  the  guests  were  subjected.  Mr. 
Mortis  went  here  and  there,  ostensibly  busied  on  hos- 
pitable concerns;  but  he  had  ever  a  shrewd  glance  at 
disposal;  not  a  man  of  the  party  escaped  his  sudden, 
searching  looks;  he  took  stock  of  the  bearing  of  heavy 
losers,  he  valued  the  amount  of  the  stakes,  he  paused 
behind  couples  who  were  deep  in  conversation;  and,  in 
a  word,  there  was  hardly  a  characteristic  of  anyone 
present  b  if  he  seemed  to  catch  and  make  a  note  of  it. 
Brackenbury  began  to  wonder  if  this  were  indeed  a 
gambling  hell:  it  had  so  much  the  air  of  a  private 
inquisition.  He  followed  Mr.  Morris  in  all  his  move- 
ments; and  although  the  man  had  a  ready  smile,  he 
seemed  to  perceive,  as  it  were  under  a  mask,  a  haggard, 
careworn,  ami  preoccupied  spirit.  The  fellows  around 
him  laughed  and  made  their  game;  but  brackenbury 
had  lost  interest  in  the  gin 

"  This  Morris,"  thought  he,  "  is  no  idler  in  the  room. 
Some  deep  purpose  inspires  him;  let  it  be  mine  to 
fathom  it." 

Now  and  then  Mr.  Moiris  would  call  one  of  his 
visitors  aside;  and  after  a  brief  colloquy  in  an  ante- 
room,  he  would  return  alone,  and  the  visitors  in  ques- 
tion reappeared  no  more.  After  a  certain  number  of 
repetitions,  this  performance  excited  Brackenbury'a 
curiosity  to  a  high  degree.  He  determined  to  be  at 
the  bottom  of  this  minor  mystery  at  once;  and  strolling 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  71 

into  the  ante-room,  found  a  deep  window  recess  con- 
cealed by  curtains  of  the  fashionable  green.  Here  he 
hurriedly  ensconced  himself;  nor  had  he  to  wait  long 
before  the  sound  of  steps  and  voices  drew  near  him 
from  the  principal  apartment.  Peering  through  the 
division,  he  saw  Mr.  Morris  escorting  a  fat  and  ruddy 
personage,  with  somewhat  the  look  of  a  commercial 
traveler,  whom  Brackenbury  had  already  remarked  for 
his  coarse  laugh  and  under-bred  behavior  at  the  table. 
The  pair  halted  immediately  before  the  window,  so  that 
Brackenbury  lost  not  a  word  of  the  following  dis- 
course:— ■ 

"  I  beg  you  a  thousand  pardons  !  "  began  Mr.  Morris, 
with  the  most  conciliatory  manner;  "and,  if  I  appear 
rude,  I  am  sure  you  will  readily  forgive  me.  In  a 
place  so  great  as  London  accidents  must  continually 
happen;  and  the  best  that  we  can  hope  is  to  remedy 
them  with  as  small  delay  as  possible.  I  will  not  deny 
that  I  fear  you  have  made  a  mistake  and  honored  my 
poor  house  by  inadvertence;  for,  to  speak  openly,  I 
cannot  at  all  remember  your  appearance.  Let  me  put 
the  question  without  unnecessary  circumlocution — 
between  gentlemen  of  honor  a  word  will  suffice — 
Under  whose  roof  do  you  suppose  yourself  to  be  ?  " 

"  That  of  Mr.  Morris,"  replied  the  other,  with  a 
prodigious  display  of  confusion,  which  had  been  visibly 
growing  upon  him  throughout  the  last  few  words. 

"Mr.  John  or  Mr.  James  Morris?"  inquired  the 
host. 

"  I  really  cannot  tell  you,"  returned  the  unfortunate 
guest.  "I  am  not  personally  acquainted  with  the 
gentlemen,  anymore  than  I  am  with  yourself." 

"I  see,"  said  Mr.  Morris.  "There  is  another  per- 
son of  the  same  name  farther  down  the  street;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  the  policeman  will  be  able  to  supply 
you  with  his  number.  Believe  me,  I  felicitate  myself 
on  the  misunderstanding  which  has  procured  me  the 
pleasure  of  your  company  for  so  long;  and  let  me 
express  a  hope  that  we  may  meet  again  upon  a  more 


;:  W  ARABIAN  A  tC/ITS. 

re  Meantime,    I    would   not     for    the 

world  detain  j  from  your    friends.     John," 

he  added,  raising  his  voice,  "will  you  sec  that  the 
gentleman  funis  his  great-coat?" 

Ami  with  the  mo  ibleair  Mr.  Morris  escorted 

his  visitor  as  far  as  the  ante-room  door,  where  he  left 
him  under  conduct  of  the  butler.  As  he  passed  the 
window,  on  his  return  to  the  drawing-room,  Bracken- 
bury  could  hear  him  utter  a  profound  sigh,  as  though 
his  mind  was  loaded  with  a  great  anxiety,  and  his  nerves 
already    fatigued    with      the  task   on   which    he     was 

For  perhaps  an  hour  the  hansoms  kept  arriving  with 
such  frequency,  that  Mr.  Morris  had  to  receive  a  new 
guest  for  every  old  one  that  lie  sent  away,  and  the  com- 
pany preserved  its  number  undiminished.  But  towards 
the  end  of  that  time  the.  arrivals  grew  few  and  far  be- 
tween, and  at  length  ceased  entirely,  while  the  process  of 
elimination  was  continued  with  unimpaired  activity. 
The  drawing-room  began  to  look  empty  :  the  baccarat 
discontinu  ck  of  a  banker  ;  more  than  one 

person  said  good-night  of  his  own  accord,  and  was 
suffered  to  depart  without  expostulation:  and  in  the 
meanwhil  rris  redoubled  in  agreeable  attentions 

to  those  who  stayed  behind.  He  went  from  group  to 
group  and  from  person  to  person  with  looks  of  the 
reach  -  ithy  and  the  most  pertinent  and  pleasing 

talk  ;  he  was  not  so  much  like  a  host  as  like  a  hostess, 
and  there  was  a  feminine  coquetry  and  condescension 
in  his  manner  which  charmed  the  hearts  of  all. 

the  guests  grew  thinner,  Lieutenant  Rich  strolled 
for  a  moment  out  of  the  drawing-room  into  the  hall  in 
quest  of  fresher  air.  But  he  had  no  sooner  passed  the 
threshold  of  the  ante-chamber  than  he  was  brought  to 
a  dead  halt  by  a  discovery  of  the  most  surprising 
nature.  The  flowering  shrubs  had  disappeared  from 
the  staircase  ;  three  large  furniture  wagons  stood 
before  the  garden  gate  ;  the  servants  were  busy  dismant- 
ling the  house  upon  all  sides  ;  and  some  of  them  had 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  73 

already  donned  their  great-coats  and  were  preparing  to 
depart.  It  was  like  the  end  of  a  country  ball,  where 
everything  has  been  supplied  by  contract.  Brackenbury 
had  indeed  some  matter  for  reflection.  First,  the  guests, 
who  were  no  real  guests  after  all,  had  been  dismissed  ; 
and  now  the  servants,  who  could  hardly  be  genuine 
servants,  were  actively  dispersing. 

"  Was  the  whole  establishment  a  sham  ?  "  he  asked 
himself.  "  The  mushroom  of  a  single  night  which 
should  disappear  before  morning  ? " 

Watching  a  favorable  opportunity,  Brackenbury 
dashed  upstairs  to  the  higher  regions  of  the  house.  It 
was  as  he  had  expected.  He  ran  from  room  to  room, 
and  saw  not  a  stick  of  furniture  nor  so  much  as  a  pic* 
ture  on  the  walls.  Although  the  house  had  been  painted 
and  papered,  it  was  not  only  uninhabited  at  present,  but 
plainly  had  never  been  inhabited  at  all.  The  young 
officer  remembered  with  astonishment  its  specious, 
settled,  and  hospitable  air  on  his  arrival.  It  was  only 
at  a  prodigious  cost  that  the  imposture  could  have  been 
carried  out  upon  so  great  a  scale. 

Who,  then,  was  Mr.  Morris  ?  What  was  his  intention 
in  thus  playing  the  householder  for  a  single  night  in 
the  remote  west  of  London  ?  And  why  did  he  collect 
his  visitors  at  hazard  from  the  streets  ? 

Brackenbury  remembered  that  he  had  already 
delayed  too  long,  and  hastened  to  join  the  company. 
Many  had  left  during  his  absence  ;  and  counting  the 
Lieutenant  and  his  host,  there  were  not  more  than  five 
persons  in  the  drawing-room — recently  so  thronged. 
Mr.  Morris  greeted  him,  as  he  re-entered  the  apartment, 
with  a  smile,  and  immediately  rose  to  his  feet. 

''It  is  now  time,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  to  explain 
my  purpose  in  decoying  you  from  your  amusements.  I 
trust  you  did  not  find  the  evening  hang  very  dully  on 
your  hands  ;  but  my  object,  I  will  confess  it,  was  not 
to  entertain  your  leisure,  but  to  help  myself  in  an  unfor- 
tunate necessity.  You  are  all  gentlemen,"  he  continued, 
"  your  appearance  does  you  that  much  justice,  and  I 


74  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

ask  for  n  irity.      H         .1  speak  it  without 

you  to  render  me  a  dangerous  and 
dangerous  because  you  may  run  the 
.1  delicate  be<  ..use   1  must  ask 
•   tion  upon  all   that   you  shall   sec  or 
From  an  utter  stranger  the  request  is  almost 
.  extravagant  ;  I  am  well  aware  of  this  ;  and 
I  would  add  at  once,  if  there  be  anyone  present  who 
sard  enough,  if  there  be  one  among  the  party  who 
from   a  dangerous  confidence   and   a  piece  of 
Quixotic  devotion  to  he  knows  not  whom — here  is  my 
hand  ready,  and  I  shall  wish  him  good-night  and  God- 
speed, with  all  the  sincerity  in  the  world." 

A  very  tall,  black  man,  with  a  heavy  stoop,  immedi- 
ately responded  to  this  appeal. 

"  I  commend  your  frankness,  sir,"  said  he  ;  "  and, 
for  my  part,  I  go.  I  make  no  reflections  ;  but  I  can- 
not deny  that  \ou  fill  me  with  suspicious  thoughts.  I 
go  myself,  as  I  say  ;  and  perhaps  you  will  think  I  have 
no  right  to  add  words  to  my  example." 

"On   the  contrary,"    replied    Mr.    Morris,    "I    am 
■  i  you  for  all  you  say.     It  would  be  impossible 
to  exaggerate  the  gravity  of  my  proposal." 

"Well,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  say?"  said  the  tall 
man,  addressing  the  others.  "We  have  had  our  even- 
ing's frolic;  shall  we  go  homeward  peaceably  in  a  body  ? 
You  will  think  well  of  my  suggestion  in  the  morning, 
when  you  see  the  sun  again  in  innocence  and  safety." 

The  speaker  pronounced  the  last  words  with  an 
intonation  which  added  to  their  force;  and  his  face  wore 
a  singular  expression,  full  of  gravity  and  significance. 
Another  of  the  company  rose  hastily,  and,  with  some 
appearance  of  alarm,  prepared  to  take  his  leave.  There 
were  only  two  who  held  their  ground,  Brackenbury 
and  an  old  red-nosed  cavalry  Major;  but  these  two 
rved  a  nonchalant  ck  mennor,  and,  beyond  a  look 
of  intelligence  which  they  rapidly  exchanged,  appeared 
entirely  foreign  to  the  discussion  that  had  just  been 
terminated. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  75 

Mr.  Morris  conducted  the  deserters  as  far  as  the 
door,  which  he  closed  upon  their  heels  ;  then  he  turned 
round  disclosing  a  countenance  of  mingled  relief  and 
animation,   and  addressed  the  two  officers  as  follows  : 

"  I  have  chosen  my  men  like  Joshua  in  the  Bible," 
said  Mr.  Morris,  "  and  I  now  believe  I  have  the  pick 
of  London.  Your  appearance  pleased  my  hansom 
cabmen  ;  then  it  delighted  me  ;  I  have  watched  your 
behavior  in  a  strange  company,  and  under  the  most 
unusual  circumstances  :  I  have  studied  how  you  played 
and  how  you  bore  your  losses  ;  lastly,  I  have  put  you 
to  the  test  of  a  staggering  announcement,  and  you 
received  it  like  an  invitation  to  dinner.  It  is  not  for 
nothing,"  he  cried,  "  that  I  have  been  for  years  the 
companion  and  the  pupil  of  the  bravest  and  wisest 
potentate  in  Europe." 

"  At  the  affair  of  Bunderchang,"  observed  the  Major. 
"  I  asked  for  twelve  volunteers,  and  every  trooper  in 
the  ranks  replied  to  my  appeal.  But  a  gaming  party 
is  not  the  same  thing  as  a  regiment  under  fire.  You 
may  be  pleased,  I  suppose,  to  have  found  two,  and 
two  who  will  not  fail  you  at  a  push.  As  for  the  pair 
who  ran  away,  I  count  them  among  the  most  pitiful 
hounds  I  ever  met  with.  Lieutenant  Rich,"  he  added, 
addressing  Brackenbury,  "  I  have  heard  much  of  you 
of  late  ;  and  I  cannot  doubt  but  you  have  also  heard 
of  me.     I  am  Major  O'Rooke." 

And  the  veteran  tendered  his  hand,  which  was  red 
and  tremulous,  to  the  young  Lieutenant. 

"Who  has  not?"  answered  Brackenbury. 

"  When  this  little  matter  is  settled,"  said  Mr.  Morris, 
"  you  will  think  I  have  sufficiently  rewarded  you  ;  for 
I  could  offer  neither  a  more  valuable  service  than  to 
make  him  acquainted  with  the  other." 

"And  now,"  said  Major  O'Rooke,  "  is  it  a  duel  ?" 

"A  duel  after  a  fashion,"  replied  Mr.  Morris,  "a 
duel  with  unknown  and  dangerous  enemies,  and,  as  I 
gravely  fear,  a  duel  to  the  death.  I  must  ask  you,"  he 
continued,  "to  call  me  Morris  no  longer;  call  me,  if 


76  \RABTAN  NIGHTS. 

mith;  ray  11  as 

that  of  anoth  to  whom  I  hope  t<>  present  you 

ou  will  gratify  me  by  not  asking  and  not 
seek.  .     Three  d 

the  person  of  whom  I  speak  <  ired  suddenly  from 

homo;  and,  until  this  morning,  1  received  no  hint  of 
his  situation.  You  will  fancy  my  alarm  when  I  tell 
that  he  is  engaged  upon  a  work  of  private  justi<  e. 
nd  by  an  unhappy  oath,  too  lightly  sworn,  lie  finds 
it  necessary,  without  the  help  of  law,  to  rid  the  earth 
of  an  insidious  and  bloody  villain.  Already  two  of 
our  friends,  and  one  of  them  my  own  born  brother, 
have  perished  in  the  enterprise.  He  himself,  or  J  am 
much  deceived,  is  taken  in  the  same  fatal  toils.  But 
at  least  he  still  lives  and  still  hopes,  as  this  billet 
sufficiently  proves." 

And  the  speaker,  no  other  than  Colonel  Geraldine, 
proffered  a  letter,  thus  conceived: — 

"  Major  Hammersmith, — On  Wednesday,  at  3  a.  m., 
you  will  be  admitted  by  the  small  door  to  the  gardens 
of  Rochester  House,  Regent's  1'ark,  by  a  man  who  is 
entirely  in  my  interest.  I  must  request  you  not  to  fail 
me  by  a  second.  Pray  bring  my  case  of  swords,  and, 
if  you  can  find  them,  one  or  two  gentlemen  of  conduct 
and  discretion  to  whom  my  person  is  unknown.  My 
name  must  not  be  used  in  this  affair. 

T.  Godall. 

"From  his  wisdom  alone,  if  he  had  no  other  title," 
pursued  Colonel  Geraldine,  when  the  others  had  each 
satisfied  his  curiosity,  "  my  friend  is  a  man  whose 
directions  should  implicitly  be  followed.  I  need  not 
tell  you,  therefore,  that  I  have  not  so  much  as  visited 
the  neighborhood  of  Rochester  House  ;  and  that  I  am 
still  as  wholly  in  the  dark  as  either  of  yourselves  as  to 
the  nature  of  my  friend's  dilemma.  I  betook  myself, 
as  soon  as  I  had  received  this  order,  to  a  furnishing 
contractor,  and,  in  a  few  hours,  the  house  in  which  we 
now  are  had  assumed  its  late  air  of  festival.  My 
scheme  was  at   least  original  ;    and    I   am    far    from 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  77 

regretting  an  action  which  has  procured  me  the  services 
of  Major  O'Rooke  and  Lieutenant  Brackenbury  Rich. 
But  the  servants  in  the  street  will  have  a  strange 
awakening.  The  house  which  this  evening  was  full 
of  lights  and  visitors  they  will  find  uninhabited  and  for 
sale  to-morrow  morning.  Thus  even  the  most  serious 
concerns,"  added  the  Colonel,  "  have  a  merry  side." 

"  And  let  us  add  a  merry  ending,"  said  Bracken- 
bury. 

The  Colonel  consulted  his  watch. 

"  It  is  now  hard  on  two,''"  he  said.  "  We  have  ah  hour 
before  us,  and  a  swift  cab  is  at  the  door.  Tell  me  if 
I  may  count  upon  your  help." 

"  During  a  long  life,"  replied  Major  O'Rooke,  "I 
never  took  back  my  hand  from  anything,  nor  so  much 
as  hedged  a  bet." 

Brackenbury  signified  his  readiness  in  the  most 
becoming  terms;  and  after  they  had  drunk  a  glass  or 
two  of  wine,  the  Colonel  gave  each  of  them  a  loaded 
revolver,  and  the  three  mounted  into  the  cab  and  drove 
off  for  the  address  in  question. 

Rochester  House  was  a  magnificent  residence  on  the 
banks  of  the  canal.  The  large  extent  of  the  garden 
isolated  it  in  an  unusual  degree  from  the  annoyances  of 
neighborhood.  It  seemed  the  pare  aux  cerfs  of  some 
great  nobleman  or  millionaire.  As  far  as  could  be 
seen  from  the  street,  there  was  not  a  glimmer  of  light 
in  any  of  the  numerous  windows  of  the  mansion  ;  and 
the  place  had  a  look  of  neglect,  as  though  the  master 
had  been  long  from  home. 

The  cab  was  discharged,  and  the  three  gentlemen 
were  not  long  in  discovering  the  small  door,  which  was 
a  sort  of  postern  in  a  lane  between  two  garden  walls. 
It  still  wanted  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  of  the  appointed 
time;  the  rain  fell  heavily,  and  the  adventurers  sheltered 
themselves  below  some  pendent  ivy,  and  spoke  in  low 
tones  of  the  approaching  trial. 

Suddenly  Geraldinc  raised  his  finger  to  command 
silence,  and  all  three  bent  their  hearing  to  the  utmost. 


78  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

Through  the  continuous  noise  of  the  rain,  the  steps  and 

-  of  two  men  became  audible  from  the  other 
of  the  wall  ;  and,  as  they  drew   nearer,    Brackenbury, 
whose  sense  of  hearing  was  remarkably  acute,  could 
even  distinguish  some  fragments  of  their  talk. 
1  s  the  grave  dug  ?  "  asked  one. 

"  It  is,"  replied  the  other  ;  "  behind  the  laurel  hedge, 
U  :i  the  jo!)  is  done,  we  can  cover  it  with  a  pile  of 
stak< 

The  first  speaker  laughed,  and  the  sound  of  his 
merriment  was  shocking  to  the  listeners  on  the  other 

side. 

"  In  an  hour  from  now,"  lie  said. 

And  by  the  sound  of  the  steps  it  was  obvious  that 
the  pair  had  separated,  and  were  proceeding  in  contrary 
direi  tions. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  postern  door  was 
cautiously  opened,  a  white  face  was  protruded  into  the 
lane,  and  a  hand  was  seen  beckoning  to  the  watchers. 
In  dead  silence  the  three  passed  the  door,  which  was 
immediately  locked  behind  them,  and  followed  their 
guide  through  several  garden  alleys  to  the  kitchen 
entrance  of  the  house.  A  single  candle  burned  in  the 
great  paved  kitchen,  which  was  destitute  of  the  custom- 
ary furniture  ;  and  as  the  party  proceeded  to  ascend 
from  thence  by  a  flight  of  winding  stairs,  a  prodigious 
noise  of  rats  testified  still  more  plainly  to  the  dilapida- 
tion of  the  house. 

Their  conductor  preceded  them,  carrying  the  candle. 
He  was  a  lean  man,  much  bent,  but  still  agile  ;  and  he 
turned  from  time  to  time  and  admonished  silence  and 
caution  by  his  gestures.  Colonel  Geraldine  followed 
on  his  heels,  the  case  of  swords  under  one  arm,  and  a 
pistol  ready  in  the  other.  Brackenbury's  heart  beat 
thickly.  He  perceived  that  they  were  still  in  time;  but 
he  judged  from  the  alacrity  of  the  old  man  that  the 
hour  of  action  must  be  near  at  hand;  the  circumstances 
of  this  adventure  were  so  obscure  and  menacing,  the 
place  seemed  so  well  chosen  for  the  darkest  acts,  that 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  79 

an  older  man  than  Brackenbury  .might  have  been  par- 
doned a  measure  of  emotion  as  he  closed  the  procession 
up  the  winding  stair. 

At  the  top  the  guide  threw  open  a  door  and  ushered 
the  three  officers  before  him  into  a  small  apartment, 
lighted  by  a  smoky  lamp  and  the  glow  of  a  modest  fire. 
At  the  chimney  corner  sat  a  man  in  the  early  prime  of 
life,  and  of  a  stout  but  courtly  and  commanding 
appearance.  His  attitude  and  expression  were  those  of 
the  most  unmoved  composure  ;  he  was  smoking  a 
cheroot  with  much  enjoyment  and  deliberation,  and  on 
a  table  by  his  elbow  stood  a  long  glass  of  some  effer- 
vescing beverage  which  diffused  an  agreeable  odor 
through  the  room. 

"Welcome,"  said  he,  extending  his  hand  to  Colonel 
Geraldine.  "  I  knew  I  might  count  on  your  exact- 
itude." 

"  On  my  devotion,"  replied  the  Colonel,  with  a  bow. 

"  Present  me  to  your  friends,"  continued  the  first  ; 
and,  when  that  ceremony  had  been  performed,  "  I  wish, 
gentlemen,"  he  added,  with  the  most  exquisite  affability, 
"  that  I  could  offer  you  a  more  cheerful  programme  ; 
it  is  ungracious  to  inaugurate  an  acquaintance  upon 
serious  affairs  ;  but  the  compulsion  of  events  is 
stronger  than  the  obligations  of  good-fellowship.  I 
hope  and  believe  you  will  be  able  to  forgive  me  this 
unpleasant  evening  ;  and  for  men  of  your  stamp  it  will 
be  enough  to  know  that  you  are  conferring  a  consider- 
able favor." 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  Major,  "  must  pardon  my 
bluntness.  I  am  unable  to  hide  what  I  know.  For 
some  time  back  I  have  suspected  Major  Hammersmith, 
but  Mr.  Godall  is  unmistakable.  To  seek  two  men  in 
London  unacquainted  with  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia 
was  to  ask  too  much  at  Fortune's  hands." 

"  Prince  Florizel  !"  cried  Brackenbury  in  amaze- 
ment. 

And  he  gazed  with  the  deepest  interest  on  the  fea- 
tures of  the  celebrated  personage  before  him. 


So  V  ARABIAN  XI  CI  ITS. 

"  I  shall  not  lament  the  loss  of  my  incognito," 
remarked  the  Prince,  "for  it  enables  me  t<>  thank  you 
with  the  more  authority.  You  would  have  done  as 
much  for  Mr.  Godall,  I  feel  sure,  as  for  the  Prince  of 
Bohemia  ;  but  the  latter  can  perhaps  do  more  for  you. 
The  gain  is  mine,"  he  added,  with  a  courteous 
tu  re. 

And  the  next  moment  he  was  conversing  with  the 
two  bout    the  Indian   army   and    the    native 

troops,  a  subject  on  which,  as  on  all  others,  he  had  a 
remarkable  fund  of  information  and  the  soundest 
views. 

There  was  something  so  striking  in  this  man's  atti- 
tude at  a  moment  of  deadly  peril  that  Brackenbury 
was  overcome  with  respectful  admiration  ;  nor  was  he 
sensible  to  the  charm  of  his  conversation  or  the 
surprising  amenity  of  his  address.  Every  gesture, 
every  intonation,  was  not  only  noble  in  itself,  but 
seemed  to  ennoble  the  fortunate  mortal  for  whom  it 
intended  ;  and  Brackenbury  confessed  to  himself 
with  enthusiasm  that  this  was  a  sovereign  for  whom  a 
brave  man  might  thankfully  lay  down  his  life. 

Many  minutes  had  thus  passed,  when  the  person  who 
had  introduced  them  into  the  house,  and  who  had  sat 
ever  since  in  a  corner,  and  with  his  watch  in  his  hand, 
arose  and  whispered  a  word  into  the  Prince's  ear. 

"It  is  well,  Dr.  Noel,"  replied  Florizel,  aloud:  and 
then  addressing  the  others,  "  You  will  excuse  me, 
gentlemen,"  he  added,  "«if  I  have  to  leave  you  in  the 
dark.     The  moment  now  approaches." 

I)r.  Noel  extinguished  the  lamp.  A  faint,  gray  light, 
premonitory  of  the  dawn,  illuminated  the  window,  but 
ufficient  to  illuminate  the  room  ;  and  when  the 
Prince  rose  to  his  feet,  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish 
•  atures  or  to  make  a  guess  at  the  nature  of  the 
emotion  which  obviously  affected  him  as  he  spoke.  He 
moved  towards  the  door,  and  placed  himself  atone  side 
of  it  in  an  attitude  of  the  wariest  attention. 

"  You  will  have  the  kindness,"  he  said,  "to  maintain 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  81 

the  strictest  silence,  and  to  conceal  yourselves  in  the 
densest  of  the  shadow." 

The  three  officers  and  the  physician  hastened  to 
obey,  and  for  nearly  ten  minutes  the  only  sound  in 
Rochester  House  was  occasioned  by  the  excursions  of 
the  rats  behind  the  woodwork.  At  the  end  of  that 
period,  a  loud  creak  of  a  hinge  broke  in  with  surprising 
distinctness  on  the  silence  ;  and  shortly  after,  the 
watchers  could  distinguish  a  slow  and  cautious  tread 
approaching  up  the  kitchen  stair.  At  every  second 
step  the  intruder  seemed  to  pause  and  lend  an  ear,  and 
during  these  intervals,  which  seemed  of  an  incalculable 
duration,  a  profound  disquiet  possessed  the  spirit  of 
the  listeners.  Dr.  Noel,  accustomed  as  he  was  to 
dangerous  emotions,  suffered  an  almost  pitiful  physical 
prostration  ;  his  breath  whistled  in  his  lungs,  his  teeth 
grated  one  upon  another,  and  his  joints  cracked  aloud 
as  he  nervously  shifted  his  position. 

At  last  a  hand  was  laid  upon  the  door,  and  the  bolt 
shot  back  with  a  slight  report.  There  followed  another 
pause,  during  which  Brackenbury  could  see  the  Prince 
draw  himself  together  noiselessly  as  if  for  some  unusual 
exertion.  Then  the  door  opened,  letting  in  a  little 
more  of  the  light  of  the  morning  ;  and  the  figure  of  a 
man  appeared  upon  the  threshold  and  stood  motionless. 
He  was  tall,  and  carried  a  knife  in  his  hand.  Even  in 
the  twilight  they  could  see  his  upper  teeth  bare  and 
glistening,  for  his  mouth  was  open  like  that  of  a  hound 
about  to  leap.  The  man  had  evidently  been  over  the 
head  in  water  but  a  minute  or  two  before  ;  and  even 
while  he  stood  there  the  drops  kept  falling  from  his 
wet  clothes  and  pattered  on  the  floor. 

The  next  moment  he  crossed  the  threshold.  There 
was  a  leap,  a  stifled  cry,  an  instantaneous  struggle  ;  and 
before  Colonel  Geraldine  could  spring  to  his  aid,  the 
Prince  held  the  man,  disarmed  and  helpless,  by  the 
shoulders. 

"  Dr.  Noel,"  he  said,  "  you  will  be  so  good  as  to 
relight  the  lamp  " 


.  /.\    NIGHTS. 

And  relinquishing  the  charge  of  his  prisoner  to  Ger« 

aldine  and  Brackenbury,  he  i  rossed  the  room  and  set 

ick  against  til.'  chimney-piece.     As  soon  as  the 

lamp  had  kindled,  the  party  beheld  an  unaccustomed 
sternness  on  the  Prince's  features.  It  was  no  longer 
Florizel,  the  careless  gentleman  :  it  was  the  Prince  of 
mia,  justly  incensed  and  full  of  deadly  purpose, 
who  now  raised  his  head  and  addressed  the  Captive 
Pi      ident  of  the  Suicide  Club. 

'*  President,"  he  said,  "  you  have  laid  your  last 
snare,  and  your  own  feet  are  taken  in  it.  The  day  is 
beginning;  it  i^  your  last  morning.  You  have  just 
swum  the  Regent's  Canal  ;  it  is  your  last  bathe  in  this 
world.  Your  old  accomplice,  Dr.  Noel,  so  far  from 
betraying  me,  has  delivered  you  into  my  hands  for 
judgment.  And  the  grave  you  had  dug  for  me  this 
afternoon  shall  serve,  in  God's  almighty  providence,  to 
hide  your  own  just  doom  from  the  curiosity  of  man- 
kind. Kneel  and  pray,  sir,  if  you  have  a  mind  that 
way  ;  for  your  time  is  short,  and  God  is  weary  of  your 
iniquities." 

The  President  made  no  answer  either  by  word  or 
sign  ;  but  continued  to  hang  his  head  and  gaze  sul- 
lenly on  the  floor,  as  though  he  were  conscious  of  the 
Prince's  prolonged  and  unsparing  regard. 

"  Gentlemen,"  continued  Florizel,  resuming  the  ordi- 
nary tone  of  his  conversation,  "  this  is  a  fellow  who 
has  long  eluded  me,  but  whom,  thanks  to  Dr.  Noel,  I 
now  have  tightly  by  the  heels.  To  tell  the  story  of  his 
misdeeds  would  occupy  more  time  than  we  can  now 
afford  ;  but  if  the  canal  had  contained  nothing  but  the 
blood  of  his  victims,  I  believe  the  wretch  would  have 
been  no  drier  than  you  see  him.  Even  in  an  affair  of 
this  sort  I  desire  to  preserve  the  forms  of  honor.  But 
I  make  you  the  judges,  gentlemen — this  is  more  an 
execution  than  a  duel  ;  and  to  give  the  rogue  his 
choice  of  weapons  would  be  to  push  too  far  a  point  of 
etiquette.  I  cannot  afford  to  lose  my  life  in  such  a 
business,"  he  continued,  unlocking  the  case  of  swords; 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  83 

''and  as  a  pistol-bullet  travels  so  often  on  the  wings 
of  chance,  and  skill  and  courage  may  fall  by  the  most 
trembling  marksman,  I  have  decided,  and  I  feel  sure 
you  will  approve  my  determination,  to  put  this  ques- 
tion to  the  touch  of  swords." 

When  Brackenbury  and  Major  O'Rooke,  to  whom 
these  remarks  were  particularly  addressed,  had  each 
intimated  his  approval,  'Quick,  sir,''  added  Prince 
Florizel  to  the  President,  "  choose  a  blade  and  do  not 
keep  me  waiting;  I  have  an  impatience  to  be  done 
with  you  for  ever." 

For  the  first  time  since  he  was  captured  and  dis- 
armed the  President  raised  his  head,  and  it  was  plain 
that  he  began  instantly  to  pluck  up  courage." 

"Is  it  to  be  stand  up?"  he  asked  eagerly,  "  and 
between  you  and  me  ?  " 

"  I  mean  so  far  to  honor  you,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"  Oh,  come  !  "  cried  the  President.  "  With  a  fair 
field,  who  knows  how  things  may  happen  ?  I  must 
add  that  I  consider  it  handsome  behavior  on  your 
Highness's  part ;  and  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  I 
shall  die  by  one  of  the  most  gallant  gentlemen  in 
Europe  ?  " 

And  the  President,  liberated  by  those  who  had 
detained  him,  stepped  up  to  the  table  and  began,  with 
minute  attention,  to  select  a  sword.  He  was  highly 
elated,  and  seemed  to  feel  no  doubt  that  he  should 
issue  victorious  from  the  contest.  The  spectators  grew 
alarmed  in  the  face  of  so  entire  a  confidence,  and 
adjured  Prince  Florizel  to  reconsider  his  intention. 

"  It  is  but  a  farce,"  he  answered  ;  "and  I  think  I 
can  promise  you,  gentlemen,  that  it  will  not  be  long 
a-playing." 

"  Your  Highness  will  be  careful  not  to  overreach," 
said  Colonel  Geraldine. 

"Geraldine,"  returned  the  Prince,  "did  you  ever 
know  me  fail  in  a  debt  of  honor  ?  I  owe  you  this 
man's  death,  and  you  shall  have  it." 

The  President  at  last  satisfied  himself  with  one  of 


84  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

the  rapiers,  and  signified  his  readiness  by  a  gesture 
that  was  not  devoi  ide  nobility.     The 

ril,  and  the  sense  of  coui  t en  to  th 

villain,  lent  an  air  of  manhood  and  a  certain  grace. 

The  Prince  helped  himself  .it  random  to  a  sword. 

"Colonel  Geraldine and  Doctor  Nod,"  he  said,"  will 
have  the  good  iwait  me   in  this  room.     I  wish 

no  personal  friend  of  mine  to  be  involved  in  this  trans- 
■n.      Major  ()  ill  are  a  man  of  some  years 

and  a  settled  reputation — let  me  recommend  the  Presi- 
dent to  your  good  graces.      Lieutenant  Rich  will  be  so 
I  as  to   lend  me  his  attentions:    a  young  man  can- 
not have  too  much  experience  in  such  affairs. 

"Your  Highness,"   replied    Brackenbury,  "  it  is   an 
honor  I  shall  prize  extremely." 

"It    is    well,"   returned    Prince    Florizel;    "I    shall 
to  stand  your  friend   in  more  important  circum- 
stan< 

And  so  saying  he  led  the  way  out  of  the  apartment 
and  down  the  kitchen  stairs. 

The  two  men  who  were  thus  left  alone  threw  open 
the  window  and  leaned  out,  straining  every  sense  to 
catch  an  indication  of  the  tragical  events  that  were 
about  to  follow.  The  rain  was  now  over;  day  had  almost 
come,  and  the  birds  were  piping  in  the  shrubbery  and 
on  the  forest  trees  of  the  garden.  The  Prince  and  his 
companions  were  visible  for  a  moment  as  they  followed 
an  alley  between  two  flowering  thickets;  but  at  the  first 
corner  a  clump  of  foliage  intervened,  and  theywere again 
concealed  from  view.  This  was  all  that  the  Colonel 
and  the  physician  had  an  opportunity  to  see,  and  the 
garden  was  so  vast,  and  the  place  of  combat  evidently 
mote  from  the  house  that  not  even  the  noise  of 
sword-play  reached  their  ears. 

"He  has   taken   him   towards   the  grave,"  said  Dr. 
I,  with  a  shudder. 

"  God,"  cried  the  Colonel,  "  Cod  defend  the  right  !" 

And  they  awaited   the  event  in  silence,  the    Doctor 
shaking  with  fear,  the  Colonel  in  an  agony  of  sweat. 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB.  85 

Many  minutes  must  have  elapsed,  the  day  was  sensibly 
broader,  and  the  birds  were  singing  more  heartily  in 
the  garden  before  a  sound  of  returning  footsteps 
recalled  their  glances  towards  the  door.  It  was  the 
Prince  and  the  two  Indian  officers  who  entered.  God 
had  defended  the  right. 

"  I  am  ashamed  of  my  emotion,'  said  Prince  Florizel; 
"I  feel  it  a  weakness  unworthy  of  my  station,  but  the 
continued  existence  of  that  hound  of  hell  had  begun 
to  play  upon  me  like  a  disease,  and  his  death  has 
more  refreshed  me  than  a  night  of  slumber.  Look, 
Geraldine,"  he  continued,  throwing  his  sword  upon  the 
floor,  "  there  is  the  blood  of  the  man  who  killed  your 
brother.  It  should  be  a  welcome  sight.  And  yet," 
he  added,  "  see  how  strangely  we  men  are  made  !  my 
revenge  is  not  yet  five  minutes  old,  and  already  I  am 
beginning  to  ask  myself  if  even  revenge  be  attainable 
on  this  precarious  stage  of  life.  The  ill  he  did,  who 
can  undo  it  ?  The  career  in  which  he  amassed  a  huge 
fortune  (for  the  house  itself  in  which  he  staid  belonged 
to  him) — that  career  is  now  a  part  of  the  destiny  of 
mankind  forever;  and  I  might  weary  myself  making 
thrusts  in  carte  until  the  crack  of  judgment,  and  Ger- 
aldine's  brother  would  be  none  the  less  dead,  and  a 
thousand  other  innocent  persons  would  be  none  the 
less  dishonored  and  debauched  !  The  existence  of  a 
man  is  so  small  a  thing  to  take,  so  mighty  a  thing  to 
employ  !  Alas  !  "  he  cried,  "  is  there  anything  in  life 
so  disenchanting  as  attainment  ?  " 

"God's  justice  has  been  done,"  replied  the  Doctor. 
"  So  much  I  behold.  The  lesson,  your  Highness,  has 
been  a  cruel  one  for  me;  and  I  await  my  own  turn 
with  deadly  apprehension." 

"What  was  I  saying  ?"  cried  the  Prince.  "  I  have 
punished,  and  here  is  the  man  beside  us  who  can  help 
me  to  undo.  Ah,  Dr.  Noel  !  you  and  I  have  before  us 
many  a  day  of  hard  and  honorable  toil;  and  perhaps, 
before  we  have  done,  you  may  have  more  than 
redeemed  your  early  errors." 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGh 

"  Ami  in  the  meantime,"  said  the  Doctor,  "let  mo 
d  bury  my  oldest  friend." 

[And  this,  observes  the  erudite  Arabian,  is  the  for- 

i  the  tale.     The  Prince,  it  is  superjlu- 

•  si  i  ved  him  in  this 

.ind  to  this  day  his  authority  and  influence 

help  then  in  (heir  public  career,  while  his  con- 

nding  friendship  adds  a  charm  to  their  private  life. 

To  collect,  continues  the  author,  all  the  strange  events  in 

-which  this   Prince  has  played  the  part  of  Providence 

were    to  Jill   the    habitable  globe    with  books.     Juit  the 

stories  "which   relate  to  the  fortunes  of  The  Rajah's 

DIAMOND  are  of  too  entertaining  a  description,  says  he, 

to  be  omitted.     Following  prudently  in  the  footsteps  oj 

this  Oriental,  we  shall  now  begin  the  series  to  which  h£ 

refers  with  the  Story  of  the  Bandbox.) 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND. 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND. 


STORY    OF    THE    BANDBOX. 

UP  to  the  age  of  sixteen,  at  a  private  school  and 
afterwards  at  one  of  those  great  institutions  for 
which  England  is  justly  famous,  Mr.  Harry  Hartley 
had  received  the  ordinary  education  of  a  gentleman. 
At  that  period,  he  manifested  a  remarkable  distaste  for 
study  ;  and  his  only  surviving  parent  being  both  weak 
and  ignorant,  he  was  permitted  thenceforward  to  spend 
his  time  in  the  attainment  of  petty  and  purely  elegant 
accomplishments.  Two  years  later,  he  was  left  an 
orphan  and  almost  a  beggar.  For  all  active  and  indus- 
trious pursuits,  Harry  was  unfitted  alike  by  nature  and 
training.  He  could  sing  romantic  ditties,  and  accom- 
pany himself  with  discretion  on  the  piano  ;  he  was  a 
graceful  although  a  timid  cavalier ;  he  had  a  pro- 
nounced taste  for  chess  ;  and  nature  had  sent  him  into 
the  world  with  one  of  the  most  engaging  exteriors  that 
can  well  be  fancied.  Blond  and  pink,  with  dove's  eyes 
and  a  gentle  smile,  he  had  an  air  of  agreeable  tender- 
ness and  melancholy,  and  the  most  submissive  and 
caressing  manners.  But  when  all  is  said,  he  was  not 
the  man  to  lead  armaments  of  war,  or  direct  the  coun- 
cils of  a  State. 

A  fortunate  chance  and  some  influence  obtained  for 
Harry,  at  the  time  of  his  bereavement,  the  position  of 
private  secretary  to  Major-General  Sir  Thomas  Vande- 
leur,  C.15.  Sir  Thomas  was  a  man  of  sixty,  loud-spoken, 
boisterous,  and  domineering.  For  some  reason,  some 
service  the  nature  of  which  had  been  often  whispered 
and  repeatedly  denied,  the  Rajah  of  Kashgar  had  pre- 
sented this  officer  with  the  sixth  known  diamond  of  the 
world.  The  gift  transformed  General  Vandeleur  from 
89 


«;o  Xi: ir  .\ R. f /:/. i N  NIGH TS. 

a  poor  into  a  wealthy  man,  from  an  obscure  and 
unpopular  soldier  into  one  of  the  linns  of  London 
\  ;  the  possessor  of  the  Rajah's  Diamond  was 
welcome  in  the  most  exclusive  <  ircles ;  and  he  had 
found  a  lady,  young,  beautiful,  and  well-born,  who  was 
willing  to  call  the  diamond  hers  even  at  the  price  of 
marriage  with  Sir  Th<  ::  \  andeleur.  It  was  com- 
monly said  at  the  time  that,  as  like  draws  to  like,  one 
jewel  hadattracted  another  ;  certainly  Lady  Vandeleur 
not  only  a  gem  of  the  finest  water  in  her  own 
person,  but  she  showed  herself  to  the  world  in  a  very 
costly  setting  ;  and  she  was  considered  by  many 
respectable  authorities,  as  one  among  the  three  or  four 
best  dressed  women  in  England. 

Harry's  duty  as  secretary  was  not  particularly  oner- 
ous ;  but  he  had  a  dislike  for  all  prolonged  work  ;  it 
gave  him  pain  to  ink  His  fingers  ;  and  the  charms  of 
Lady  Vandeleur  and  her  toilettes  drew  him  often  from 
the  library  to  the  boudoir.  He  had  the  prettiest  ways 
among  women,  could  talk  fashions  with  enjoyment, 
and  was  never  more  happy  than  when  criticising  a 
shade  of  ribbon,  or  running  on  an  errand  to  the  mil- 
liner's. In  short,  Sir  Thomas's  correspondence  fell  into 
pitiful  arrears,  and  my  Lady  had  another  lady's  maid. 

At  last  the  General,  who  was  one  of  the  least  patient 
of  military  commanders,  arose  from  his  place  in  a  vio- 
lent excess  of  passion,  and  indicated  to  his  secretary 
that  he  had  no  further  use  for  his  services,  with  one 
of  those  explanatory  gestures  which  are  most  rarely 
employed  between  gentlemen.  The  door  being  unfor- 
tunately open,  Mr.  Hartley  fell  down-stairs  head  fore- 
most. 

He  arose  somewhat  hurt  and  very  deeply  aggrieved. 
The  life  in  the  General's  house  precisely  suited  him  ; 
he  moved,  on  a  more  or  less  doubtful  footing,  in  very 
genteel  company,  he  did  little,  he  ate  of  the  best,  and 
he  had  a  lukewarm  satisfaction  in  the  presence  of  Lady 
Vandeleur,  which,  in  his  own  heart,  he  dubbed  by  a 
more  emphatic  name. 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  91 

Immediately  after  he  had  been  outraged  by  the  mil- 
itary foot,  lie  hurried  to  the  boudoir  and  recounted  his 
sorrows. 

"  You  know  very  well,  my  dear  Harry,"  replied  Lady 
Vandeleur,  for  shs  called  him  by  name  like  a  child  or 
a  domestic  servant,  "  that  you  never  by  any  chance  do 
what  the  General  tells  you.  No  more  do  I,  you  may 
say.  But  that  is  different.  A  woman  can  earn  her 
pardon  for  a  good  year  of  disobedience  by  a  single 
adroit  submission  ;  and,  besides,  no  one  is  married  to 
his  private  secretary.  I  shall  be  sorry  to  lose  you,  but 
since  you  cannot  stay  longer  in  a  house  where  you  have 
been  insulted,  I  shall  wish  you  good-bye,  and  I  promise 
you  to  make  the  General  smart  for  his  behavior." 

Harry's  countenance  fell  ;  tears  came  into  his 
eyes,  and  he  gazed  0:1  Lady  Vandeleur  with  a  tender 
reproach. 

"  My  Lady,"  said  he,  "  what  is  an  insult  ?  I  should 
think  little  indeed  of  anyone  who  could  not  forgive 
them  by  the  score.  But  to  leave  one's  friends  ;  to 
tear  up  the  bonds  of  affection  " 

He  was  unable  to  continue,  for  his  emotion  choked 
him,  and  he  began  to  weep. 

Lady  Vandeleur  looked  at  him  with  a  curious 
expression. 

"This  little  fool,"  she  thought,  "imagines  himself 
to  be  in  love  with  me.  Why  should  he  not  become 
my  servant  instead  of  the  General's  ?  He  is  good- 
natured,  obliging,  and  understands  dress;  and  besides 
it  will  keep  him  out  of  mischief.  He  is  positively  too 
pretty  to  be  unattached." 

That  night  she  talked  over  the  General,  who  was 
already  somewhat  ashamed  of  his  vivacity;  and  Harry 
was  transferred  to  the  feminine  department,  where  his 
life  was  little  short  of  heavenly.  He  was  always 
dressed  with  uncommon  nicety,  wore  delicate  flowers 
in  his  button-hole,  and  could  entertain  a  visitor  with 
tact  and  pleasantry.  He  took  a  pride  in  servility  to  a 
beautiful    woman;  received     Lady   Vandeleur* s  com- 


92  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

mands  as  so  many  marks  of  favor;  and  was  pleased  t" 
exhibit  himself  before  other  men,  who  derided  and 
despised  him,  in  his  character  of  male  lady's-maid  and 

man    milliner.       Nor    could    he    think    enough    of    his 

ira  a  moral  point  of  view.     Wickedness 

seemed  to  him  an  essentially  male  attribute,  and  to 

■  lie's  days  with  a  delicate  woman,  and  principally 
ipied  about  trimmings,  was  to  inhabit  an  enchanted 
isle  among  the  storms  of  life. 

One  fine  morning  he  came  into  the  drawing-room 
and  began  to  arrange  some  music  on  the  top  of  the 
piano.  Lady  Yandeleur,  at  the  other  end  of  the 
apartment,  was  speaking  somewhat  eagerly  with  her 
brother,  Charlie  I'endragon,  an  elderly  young  man, 
much  broken  with  dissipation,  and  very  lame  of 
foot.  The  private  secretary,  to  whose  entrance  they 
paid  no  reg  Lrd,  could  not  avoid  overhearing  a  part  of 
their  conversation. 

"  To-day  or  never,"  said  the  lady.  "Once  and  for 
all,  it  shall   be  done  to-d.iv." 

lay,  if  it  must  be,"  replied  the  brother,  with  a 
sigh.  "l!;it  it  is  a  false  step,  a.  ruinous  step,  Clara; 
and  we  shall  live  to  repent  it  dismally." 

I  idy  Vandeleur  looked  her  brother  steadily  and 
somewhat  strangely  in  the  f 

"You  forget,'  she  said;  "the  man  must  die  at 
last." 

"  Upon  my  word,  Clara,"  said  I'endragon,  "  I 
believe  you  are  the  most  heartless  rascal  in  England." 

"  You  men,"  she  returned,  "  are  so  coarsely  built,  that 
you  can  never  appreciate  a  shade  of  meaning.  You 
are  yourselves  rapacious,  violent,  immodest,  careless  fit 
distinction;  and  yet  the  least  thought  for  the  future 
shocks  you  in  a  woman.  I  have  no  patience  with 
such  stuff.  You  would  despise  in  a  common  banker 
the  imbecility  that  you  expect  to  find  in  us." 

"You  are  very  likely  right,"  replied  her  brother; 
"you  were  always  cleverer  than  I.  And,  anyway,  you 
know  my  motto:  the  family  before  all." 


THE  R A  JAWS  DIAMOND.  93 

"Yes,  Charlie,"  she  returned,  taking  his  hand  in 
hers,  "  I  know  your  motto  better  than  you  know  it 
yourself.  And  '  Clara  before  the  family  !  '  Is  not 
that  the  second  part  of  it  ?  Indeed,  you  are  the  best 
of  brothers,  and  I  love  you  dearly." 

Mr.  Pendragon  got  up,  looking  a  little  confused  by 
these  family  endearments. 

"  I  had  better  not  be  seen,"  said  he.  "  I  understand  my 
part  to  a  miracle,  and  I'll  keep  an  eye  on  the  Tame  Cat." 

"  Do,"  she  replied.  "  He  is  an  abject  creature,  and 
might  ruin  all." 

She  kissed  the  tips  of  her  fingers  to  him  daintily;  and 
the  brother  withdrew  by  the  boudoir  and  the  back  stair, 

"  Harry,"  said  Lady  Vandeleur,  turning  towards 
the  secretary  as  soon  as  they  were  alone.  "  I  have  a 
commission  for  you  this  morning.  But  you  shall  take 
a  cab;  I  cannot  have  my  secretary  freckled." 

She  spoke  the  last  words  with  emphasis  and  a  look  of 
half-motherly  pride  that  caused  great  contentment  to 
poor  Harry;  and  he  professed  himself  charmed  to  find 
an  opportunity  of  serving  her. 

"It  is  another  of  our  great  secrets,"  she  went  on, 
archly,  "and  no  one  must  know  of  it  but  my  secretary 
and  me.  Sir  Thomas  would  make  the  saddest  dis- 
turbance; and  if  you  only  knew  how  weary  I  am  of 
these  scenes  !  Oh,  Harry,  Harry,  can  you  explain  to 
me  what  makes  you  men  so  violent  and  unjust  ?  But, 
indeed,  I  know  you  cannot;  you  are  the  only  man  in 
the  world  who  knows  nothing  of  these  shameful  pas- 
sions; you  are  so  good,  Harry,  and  so  kind;  you,  at 
least,  can  be  a  woman's  friend;  and,  do  you  know?  I 
think  you  make  the  others  more  ugly  by  comparison." 

"  It  is  you,"  said  Harry,  gallantly,  "who  are  so  kind 
to  me.     You  treat  me  like " 

"  Like  a  mother,"  interposed  Lady  Vandeleur,  "  I 
try  to  be  a  mother  to  you.  Or,  at  least,"  she  corrected 
herself  with  a  smile,  '  almost  a  mother.  I  am  afraid  I 
am  too  young  to  be  your  mother  really.  Let  us  say  a- 
friend — a  dear  friend." 


94  V  ARABIAN  X  hi  UTS. 

She  paused   long  enough  to  let  her  words  take  c^^c\ 

in  H.ury's  sentimental  quarters,  but  not  long  enough 
low  him  a  reply. 

ill  this  is  beside  our  purpose,"  she  resumed. 
i  will  find  a  bandbox  in  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
oak  wardrobe;  it  is  underneath  the  pink  slip  that  1 
on  Wednesday  with  my  Mechlin.  You  will  take 
it  immediately  to  this  address,"  and  she  gave  him  a 
paper,  "  but  do  not,  on  any  account,  let  it  out  of  your 
hands  until  you  have  received  a  receipt  written  by 
myself.  Do  you  understand  ?  Answer,  if  you  please 
— answer  !  This  is  extremely  important,  and  I  must 
ask  you  to  pay  some  attention." 

Harry  pacified  her  by  repeating  her  instructions  per- 
fectly; and  she  was  just  going  to  tell  him  more  when 
General  Vandeleui  flung  into  the  apartment,  scarlet 
with  anger,  and  holding  a  long  and  elaborate  milliner's 
bill  in  his  hand. 

'•  Will  you  look  at  this,  madam  ?"  cried  he.  "  Will 
you  have  the  goodness  to  look  at  this  document  ?  I 
know  well  enough  you  married  me  for  my  money,  and 
I  hope  I  can  make  as  great  allowance  as  any  other 
man  in  the  service;  but,  as  sure  as  God  made  me,  I 
mean  to  put  a  period  to  this  disreputable  prodigality." 

"  Mr.  Hartley,"  said  Lady  Vandeleur,  "  I  think  you 
understand  what  you  have  to  do.  May  I  ask  you  to 
see  to  it  at  once  ?" 

"Stop,"  said  the  General,  addressing  Harry,  "one 
word  before  you  go."  And  then,  turning  again  to 
1  Vandeleur,   "What    is    this    precious   fellow's 

errand  ?  "  he  demanded.  "  I  trust  him  no  further  than 
I  do  yourself,  let  me  tell  you.  If  he  had  as  much  as 
the  rudiments  of  honesty,  he  would  scorn  to  stay  in 
this  house;  and  what  he  does  for  his  wages  is  a  mys- 
to  all  the  world.  What  is  his  errand,  madam  ?  and 
why  are  you  hurrying  him  away  ?" 

"  I  supposed  you  had  something  to  say  to  me  in  pri- 
vate," replied  the  lady. 

"  You  spoke  about  an  errand,"  insisted  the  General 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  95 

{"  Do  not  attempt  to  deceive  me  in  my  present  state  of 
temper.     You  certainly  spoke  about  an  errand." 

"  If  you  insist  on  making  your  servants  privy  to  our 
humiliating  dissensions,"  replied  Lady  Vandeleur. 
"  perhaps  I  had  better  ask  Mr.  Hartley  to  sit  down 
No  ?  "  she  continued;  "  then  you  may  go,  Mr.  Hartley. 
I  trust  you  may  remember  all  that  you  have  heard  in 
this  room;  it  may  be  useful  to  you." 

Harry  at  once  made  his  escape  from  the  drav/ing- 
room;  and  as  he  ran  upstairs  he  could  hear  the  Gen- 
eral's voice  upraised  in  declamation,  and  the  thin  tones 
of  Lady  Vandeleur  planting  icy  repartees  at  every 
opening.  How  cordially  he  admired  the  wife!  How 
skilfully  she  could  evade  an  awkward  question!  with 
what  secure  effrontery  she  repeated  her  instructions 
under  the  very  guns  of  the  enemy!  and  on  the  other 
hand,  how  he  detested  the  husband! 

There  had  been  nothing  unfamiliar  in  the  morning's 
events,  for  he  was  continually  in  the  habit  of  serving 
Lady  Vandeleur  on  secret  missions,  principally  con- 
nected with  millinery.  There  was  a  skeleton  in  the 
house,  as  he  well  knew.  The  bottomless  extravagance 
and  the  unknown  liabilities  of  the  wife  had  long  since 
swallowed  her  own  fortune,  and  threatened  day  by  day 
to  engulf  that  of  the  husband.  Once  or  twice  in 
every  year  exposure  and  ruin  seemed  imminent,  and 
Harry  kept  trotting  round  to  all  sorts  of  furnishers' 
shops,  telling  small  fibs,  and  paying  small  advances  on 
the  gross  amount,  until  another  term  was  tided  over, 
and  the  lady  and  her  faithful  secretary  breathed  again. 
For  Harry,  in  a  double  capacity,  was  heart  and  soul 
upon  that  side  of  the  war:  not  only  did  he  adore  Lady 
Vandeleur  and  fear  and  dislike  her  husband,  but  he 
naturally  sympathized  with  the  love  of  finery,  and  his 
own  single  extravagance  was  at  the  tailor's. 

He  found  the  bandbox  where  it  had  been  described, 
arranged  his  toilet  with  care,  and  left  the  house.  The 
sun  shone  brightly;  the  distance  he  had  to  travel  was 
considerable,  and  he  remembered  with  dismay  that  the 


96  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

I  raTs  sudden  irruption  had  prevented  Lady  Van- 
deleur  from  giving  him  money  for  a  cab.  On  this 
sultry  day  there  w  i  hance  that  his  <  omplexion 
would  suffer  severely;  and  to  walk  through  so  much 
oi  I  ondon  with  a  x  on  his  arm  was  a  humilia- 
tion almost  insupportable  to  a  youth  of  his  character. 
He  paused,  and  took  counsel  with  himself.  The  Van- 
deleurs  lived  in  Eaton  Place;  his  destination  was  near 

rig  Hill;  plainly,  he  might  cross  the  Park  by 
keeping  well  in  the  open  and  avoiding  populous  alleys; 
and  he  thanked  his  stars  when  he  reflected  that  it  was 
still  comparatively  early  in  the  day. 

Anxious  to  be  rid  ot"  his  incubus,  he  walked  some- 
what faster  than  his  ordinary,  and  he  was  already  some 
way  through  Kensington  Gardens  when,  in  a  solitary 
s]>ot  among  trees,  he  found  himself  confronted  by  the 
General. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Thomas,"  observed  Harry, 
politely  falling  on  one  side;  for  the  other  stood  directly 
in  his  path. 

"Where  are  you  going,  sir?"  asked  the  General. 

"  I  am  taking  a  little  walk  among  the  trees,'  replied 
the  ! 

The  General  strut  k  the  bandbox  with  his  cane. 

"With  that  thing?"  he  cried;  "you  lie,  sir,  and  you 
know  you  lie!  " 

"Indeed,  Sir  Thomas,"  returned  Harry,  "I  am  not 
accustomed  to  be  questioned  in  so  high  a  key." 

"You  do  not  understand  your  position,"  said  the 
General.  "You  are  my  servant,  and  a  servant  of 
m  I  have  conceived  the  most  serious  suspicions. 
How  do  I  know  but  that  your  box  is  full  of  tea- 
spoons ? " 

"  It  contains  a  silk  hat  belonging  to  a  friend,"  said 

I I  rry. 

"Very well,"  replied  General  Vandeleur.     "Then  I 
want  to  see  your  friend's  silk  hat.     I  have,"  he  added, 
iy,  "a  singular  curiosity  for  hats*  and  I  believe 
you  know  me  to  be  somewhat  positive." 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  97 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Thomas,  I  am  exceedingly 
grieved,"  Harry  apologized;  "  but  indeed  this  is  a  pri- 
vate affair." 

The  General  caught  him  roughly  by  the  shoulder 
with  one  hand,  while  he  raised  his  cane  in  the  most 
menacing  manner  with  the  other.  Harry  gave  him- 
self up  for  lost;  but  at  the  same  moment  Heaven 
vouchsafed  him  an  unexpected  defender  in  the  person 
of  Charlie  Pendragon,  who  now  strode  forward  from 
behind  the  trees. 

"  Come,  come,  General,  hold  your  hand,"  said  he, 
"  this  is  neither  courteous  nor  manly." 

"Aha!"  cried  the  General,  wheeling  round  upon 
his  new  antagonist,  "  Mr.  Pendragon!  And  do  you 
suppose,  Mr.  Pendragon,  that  because  I  have  had  the 
misfortune  to  marry  your  sister,  I  shall  suffer  myself 
to  be  dogged  and  thwarted  by  a  discredited  and  bank- 
rupt libertine  like  you  ?  My  acquaintance  with  Lady 
Vandeleur,  sir,  has  taken  away  all  my  appetite  for  the 
other  members  of  her  family." 

"  And  do  you  fancy,  General  Vandeleur,"  retorted 
Charlie,  "  that  because  my  sister  has  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  marry  you,  she  there  and  then  forfeited  her 
rights  and  privileges  as  a  lady?  I  own,  sir,  that  by 
that  action  she  did  as  much  as  anybody  could  to  dero- 
gate from  her  position;  but  to  me  she  is  still  a  Pen- 
dragon. I  make  it  my  business  to  protect  her  from 
ungentlemanly  outrage,  and  if  you  were  ten  times  her 
husband  I  would  not  permit  her  liberty  to  be 
restrained,  nor  her  private  messenger  to  be  violently 
arrested." 

"  How  is  that,  Mr.  Hartley?"  interrogated  the  Gen- 
eral. "  Mr.  Pendragon  is  of  my  opinion,  it  appears. 
He  too  suspects  that  Lady  Vandeleur  has  something 
to  do  with  your  friend's  silk  hat." 

Charlie  saw  that  he  had  committed  an  unpardonable 
blunder,  which  he  hastened  to  repair. 

"  How,  sir  ?  "  he  cried;  "  I  suspect,  do  you  say  ?  I 
suspect  nothing.     Only  where  I  find  strength  abused 


.'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

and  a  man  brutalizing  his  inferiors,  I  take  the  liberty 
to  interfere." 

A.S  he  said  these  words  he  made  a  sign  to  Harry, 
which  the  latter  was  too  dull  or  too  much  troubled  to 
understand. 

"  In  what  way  am  1  to  construe  your  attitude,  sir?" 
tided  Yandclcur. 

"  Why,  sir,  as  you  please,"  returned  Pendragon. 

The  General  once  more  raised  his  cane,  and  made 
a  cut  for  Charlie's  head;  but  the  latter,  lame  foot  and 
all,  evaded  the  blow  with  his  umbrella,  ran  in,  and 
immediately  closed  with  his  formidable  adversaiv. 

"  Run,  Harry,  run  !"  he  cried;  "run,  you  dolt!" 

Harry  stood  petrified  for  a  moment,  watching  the 
two  men  sway  together  in  this  fierce  embrace;  then  he 
turned  and  took  to  his  heels.  When  he  cast  a  glance 
over  his  shoulder  he  saw  the  General  prostrate  under 
Charlie's  knee,  but  still  making  desperate  efforts  to 
reverse  the  situation;  and  the  Gardens  seemed  to  have 
filled  with  people,  who  were  running  from  all  direc- 
tions towards  the  scene  of  fight.  This  spectacle  lent 
the  secretary  wings;  and  he  did  not  relax  his  pace 
until  he  had  gained  the  Bayswater  road,  and  plunged 
at  random  into  an  unfrequented  by-street. 

To  see  two  gentlemen  of  his  acquaintance  thus  bru- 
tally mauling  each  other  was  deeply  shocking  to  Harry. 
Lesired  to  forget  the  sight;  he  desired,  above  all, 
to  put  as  great  a  distance  as  possible  between  himself 
and  General  Vandeleur;  and  in  his  eagerness  for  this 
he  forgot  everything  about  his  destination,  and  hurried 
re  him  headlong  and  trembling.  When  he  remem- 
bered that  Lady  Vandeleur  was  the  wife  of  one  and 
sifter  of  the  other  of  these  gladiators,  his  heart  was 
touched  with  sympathy  for  a  woman  so  distressingly 
misplaced  in  life.  Even  his  own  situation  in  the  Gen- 
eral's house  looked  hardly  so  pleasing  as  usual  in  the 
•  of  these  violent  transactions. 

He  had  walked  some  little  distance,  busied  with 
these     meditations,    before    a    slight    collision    with 


THE  RAJAHS  DIAMOND.  99 

another  passenger  reminded  him  of  the  bandbox  on 
his  arm. 

"  Heavens  !  "  cried  he,  "  where  was  my  head  ?  and 
whither  have  I  wandered  ?  " 

Thereupon  he  consulted  the  envelope  which  Lady 
Vandeleur  had  given  him.  The  address  was  there, 
but  without  a  name.  Harry  was  simply  directed  to 
ask  for  "  the  gentleman  who  expected  a  parcel  from 
Lady  Vandeleur,"  and  if  he  were  not  at  home  to 
await  his  return.  The  gentleman,  added  the  note, 
should  present  a  receipt  in  the  handwriting  of  the  lady 
herself.  All  this  seemed  mighty  mysterious,  and 
Harry  was  above  all  astonished  at  the  omission  of  the 
name  and  the  formality  of  the  receipt.  He  had 
thought  little  of  this  last  when  he  heard  it  dropped  in 
conversation;  but  reading  it  in  cold  blood,  and  taking 
it  in  connection  with  the  other  strange  particulars,  he 
became  convinced  that  he  was  engaged  in  perilous 
affairs.  For  half  a  moment  he  had  a  doubt  of  Lady 
Vandeleur  herself;  for  he  found  these  obscure  pro- 
ceedings somewhat  unworthy  of  so  high  a  lady,  and 
became  more  critical  when  her  secrets  were  preserved 
against  himself.  But  her  empire  over  his  spirit  was 
too  complete,  he  dismissed  his  suspicions,  and  blamed 
himself  roundly  for  having  so  much  as  entertained 
them. 

In  one  thing,  however,  his  duty  and  interest,  his 
generosity  and  his  terrors,  coincided — to  get  rid  of 
the  bandbox  with  the  greatest  possible  despatch. 

He  accosted  the  first  policeman  and  courteously 
inquired  his  way.  It  turned  out  that  he  was  already 
not  far  from  his  destination,  and  a  walk  of  a  few 
minutes  brought  him  to  a  small  house  in  a  lane,  freshly 
painted,  and  kept  with  the  most  scrupulous  attention. 
The  knocker  and  bell-pull  were  highly  polished; 
flowering  pot-herbs  garnished  the  sills  of  the  different 
windows;  and  curtains  of  some  rich  material  con- 
cealed the  interior  from  the  eyes  of  curious  passen- 
gers.    The  place  had  an  air  of  repose  and  secresy," 


ioo  •      W  ARABIAN  XI CUTS. 

and  Harry  wis  so  far  caught    with    this   spirit   that   he 
knocked  with  more  than  usual   discretion,  and   was 

than    usually    careful     to    remove    all    impurity 
from   his   boots. 

A  servant-maid  of  some  personal  attractions  imme- 
diately  opened   the   door,  and   seemed   to   regard  the 
tary  with  no  unkind  e\  es. 

"  This  is  the  pan  el  from  Lady  Yandeleur,"  said 
Harry. 

"  I  know,"  replied  the  maid,  with  a  nod.  "  But  the 
gentleman  is  from  home.  Will  you  leave  it  with 
me  ? " 

"  I  cannot,"  answered  Harry.  "  I  am  directed  not 
to  part  with  it  but  upon  a  certain  condition,  and  I 
must  ask  you,  I  am  afraid,  to  let  me  wait." 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  I  suppose  I  may  let  you  wait.  I 
am  lonely  enough,  I  can  tell  you,  and  you  do  not  look 
as  though  you  would  eat  a  girl.  But  be  sure  and  do 
not  ask  the  gentleman's  name,  for  that  I  am  not  to  tell 
you." 

"Do  you  say  so?"  cried  Harry.  "Why,  how 
strange!  But  indeed  for  some  time  back  I  walk 
among  surprises.  One  question  I  think  I  may  surely 
ask  without  indiscretion:  Is  he  the  master  of  this 
house  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  lodger,  and  not  eight  days  old  at  that," 
returned  the  maid.  "  And  now  a  question  for  a  ques- 
tion: Do  you  know  Lady  Vandeleur?" 

"  I  am  her  private  secretary,"  replied  Harry,  with  a 
glow  of  modest  pride. 

-     ■  is  pretty,  is  she  not  ?"  pursued  the  servant. 

"Oh, beautiful  !"  cried  Harry;  "  wonderfully  lovely, 
and  not  less  good  and  kind!  " 

"  You  look  kind  enough  yourself,"  she  retorted; 
"and  I  wager  you  are  worth  a  dozen  Lady  Vande- 
leurs." 

Harry  was  properly  scandalized. 

'  I !  "  he  cried.     "  I  am  only  a  secretary!  " 

4  Do  you  mean  that  for  me  ? "  said  the  girl.     "  Be- 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  IOI 

cause  I  am  only  a  housemaid,  if  you  please."  And 
then,  relenting  at  the  sight  of  Harry's  obvious  con- 
fusion, "  I  know  you  mean  nothing  of  the  sort,"  she 
added;  "  and  I  like  your  looks;  but  I  think  nothing 
of  your  Lady  Vandeleur.  Oh,  these  mistresses!"  she 
cried.  "  To  send  out  a  real  gentleman  like  you — with 
a  bandbox — in  broad  day!  " 

During  this  talk  they  had  remained  in  their  original 
positions — she  on  the  doorstep,  he  on  the  sidewalk, 
bareheaded  for  the  sake  «of  -coolness,  and  with  the 
bandbox  on  his  arm.  But  upon  this  last  speech  Harry, 
who  was  unable  to  support  such  point-blank  compli- 
ments to  his  appearance,  nor  the  encouraging  look 
with  which  they  were  accompanied,  began  to  change 
his  attitude,  and  glance  from  left  to  right  in  perturba- 
tion. In  so  doing  he  turned  his  face  towards  the 
lower  end  of  the  lane,  and  there,  to  his  indescribable, 
dismay,  his  eyes  encountered  those  of  General  Vande- 
leur. The  General,  in  a  prodigious  fluster  of  heat, 
hurry,  and  indignation,  had  been  scouring  the  streets 
in  chase  of  his  brother-in-law;  but  so  soon  as  he 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  delinquent  secretary  his  pur- 
pose changed,  his  anger  flowed  into  a  new  channel, 
and  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  came  tearing  up  the 
lane  with  truculent  gestures  and  vociferations. 

Harry  made  but  one  bolt  of  it  into  the  house,  driv- 
ing the  maid  before  him;  and  the  door  was  slammed 
in  his  pursuer's  countenance. 

"  Is  there  a  bar  ?  Will  it  lock?  "  asked  Harry,  while 
a  salvo  on  the  knocker  made  the  house  echo  from 
wall  to  wall. 

"  Why,  what  is  wrong  with  you  ? "  asked  the  maid. 
"  Is  it  this  old  gentleman  ?  " 

"  If  he  gets  hold  of  me,"  whispered  Harry,  "  I  am 
as  good  as  dead.  He  has  been  pursuing  me  all  day, 
carries  a  sword-stick,  and  is  an  Indian  military 
officer." 

"  These  are  fine  manners,"  cried  the  maid.  "  And 
what,  if  you  please,  may  be  his  name  ?" 


UNIVERSITY   OF   CAT.TFORNTA 
SANTA  BARBARA  COLLEGE  LIBRA 


io2  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"It  is  the  General,  my  master,"  answered  Harry. 
"  He  is  after  this  bandbox." 

"Did  not  I  tell  you?"cried  the  maid  in  triumph. 
"  I  told  you  I  thought  worse  than  nothing  of  your 
Lady  Vandeleur;  and  it'  you  had  an  eye  in  your  head 
you  might  see  what  she  is  for  yourself.  An  ungrateful 
minx,  I  will  be  bound  for  that!  " 

The  General  renewed  his  attack  upon  the  knocker, 
and  his  \  as^ion  growing  with  delay,  began  to  kick  and 
beat  upon  the  panels  of  the  door. 

"  It  is  lucky,"  observed  the  girl,  "  that  I  am  alone  in 
the  house;  your  General  may  hammer  until  he  is 
weary,  and  there  is  none  to  open  for  him.  Follow 
me! " 

So  saying  she  led  Harry  into  the  kitchen,  where  she 
made  him  sit  down,  and  stood  by  him  herself  in  an 
affectionate  attitude,  with  a  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 
The  din  at  the  door,  so  far  from  abating,  continued  to 
increase  in  volume,  and  at  each  blow  the  unhappy  sec- 
retary was  shaken  to  the  heart. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  "  asked  the  girl. 

"Harry  Hartley,"  he  replied. 

"Mine,"  she  went  on,  "is  Prudence.  Do  you  like 
it  ? " 

"Very  much,"  said  Harry.  'But  hear  for  a  moment 
how  the  General  beats  upon  the  door.  He  will  cer- 
tainly break  it  in,  and  then,  in  heaven's  name,  what 
have  I  to  look  f< :r  but  death  ?" 

"You  put  yourself  very  much  about  with  no  occas- 
ion," answered  Prudence.  "Let  your  General  knock, 
he  will  do  no  more  than  blister  his  hands.  Do  you 
think  I  would  keep  you  here  if  I  were  not  sure  to 
save  you  ?  Oh,  no,  I  am  a  good  friend  to  those  that 
please  me  !  and  we  have  a  back  door  upon  another 
lane.  But,"  she  added,  checking  him,  for  he  had  got 
upon  his  feet  immediately  on  this  welcome  news,  "  but 
I  will  not  show  where  it  is  unless  you  kiss  me.  Will 
you,  Harry? " 

"  That  I  will,"  he  cried,  remembering  his  gallantryi 


THE  RA  VAH'S  DIAMOND.  103 

*  not  for  your  back  door,  but  because  you  are  good 
and  pretty." 

And  he  administered  two  or  three  cordial  salutes, 
which  were  returned  to  him  in  kind. 

Then  Prudence  led  him  to  the  back  gate,  and  put 
her  hand  upon  the  key. 

"  Will  you  come  and  see  me  ? "  she  asked. 

"  I  will  indeed,"  said  Harry.  "  Do  not  I  owe  you 
my  life  ?  " 

"And  now,"  she  added,  opening  the  door,  "run  as 
hard  as  you  can,  for  I  shall  let  in  the  General." 

Harry  scarcely  required  this  advice;  fear  had  him 
by  the  forelock;  and  he  addressed  himself  diligently 
to  flight.  A  few  steps,  and  he  believed  he  would 
return  to  Lady  Vandeleur  in  honor  and  safety.  But 
these  few  steps  had  not  been  taken  before  he  heard  a 
man's  voice,  hailing  him  by  name  with  many  execra- 
tions, and,  looking  over  his  shoulder,  he  beheld 
Charlie  Pendragon  waving  him  with  both  arms  to 
return.  The  shock  of  this  new  incident  was  so 
sudden  and  profound,  and  Harry  was  already 
worked  into  so  high  a  state  of  nervous  tension,  that 
he  could  think  of  nothing  better  than  to  accelerate  his 
pace,  and  continue  running.  He  should  certainly  have 
remembered  the  scene  in  Kensington  Gardens ;  he 
should  certainly  have  concluded  that,  where  the  General 
was  his  enemy,  Charlie  Pendragon  could  be  no  other 
than  a  friend.  But  such  was  the  fever  and  perturba- 
tion of  his  mind  that  he  was  struck  by  none  of  these 
considerations,  and  only  continued  to  run  the  faster  up 
the  lane. 

Charlie,  by  the  sound  of  his  voice  and  the  vile 
terms  that  he  hurled  after  the  secretary,  was  obviously 
beside  himself  with  rage.  He,  too,  ran  his  very  best; 
but,  try  as  he  might,  the  physical  advantages  were  not 
upon  his  side,  and  his  outcries  and  the  fall  of  his  lame 
foot  on  the  macadam  began  to  fall  farther  and  farther 
into  the  wake. 

Harry's  hopes  began  once  more  to  arise.     The  lane 


io4  XI 'II'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

both  steep  and  narrow,  but  it  was  exceedingly 
!v,  bordered  on  either  hand  by  garden  walls, 
overhung  with  foliage;  and,  for  as  far  as  the  fugitive 
could  see  in  front  of  him,  there  was  neither  a  <  reature 
moving  nor  an  open  door.  Providence,  weary  oi  per- 
secution, was  now  offering  him  an  open  field  tor  his 
pe. 

Alas!  as  he  came  abreast  of  a  garden  door  under  a 
tuft  of  chestnuts,  it  was  suddenly  drawn  hack,  and  he 
I  see  inside,  upon  a  garden  path,  the  figure  of  a 
butcher's  boy  with,  his  tray  upon  his  arm.  He  had 
hardly  recognized  the  fact  before  he  was  some  steps 
beyond  upon  the  other  side.  But  the  fellow  had  had 
time  to  observe  him;  he  was  evidently  much  surprised 
to  see  a  gentleman  go  by  at  so  unusual  a  pace;  and  he 
came  out  into  the  lane  and  began  to  call  after  Harry 
with  shouts  of  ironical  encouragement. 

His  appearance  gave  a  new  idea  to  Charlie  Pen- 
dragon,  who,  although  he  was  now  sadly  out  of  breath, 
once  more  upraised  his  voice. 

"  Stop  thief!  "  he  cried. 

And  immediately  the  butcher's  boy  had  taken  up 
the  cry  and  joined  in  the  pursuit. 

This  was  a  hitter  moment  for  the  hunted  secretary. 
It  is  true  that  his  terror  enabled  him  once  more  to 
improve  his  pace,  and  gain  with  every  step  on  his  pur- 
suers; but  he  was  well  aware  that  he  was  near  the  end 
of  his  resources,  and  should  he  meet  anyone  coming 
the  other  way,  his  predicament  in  the  narrow  lane 
would  he  desperate  indeed. 

"  I  must  find  a  place  of  concealment,"  he  thought, 
"and  that  within  tin-  next  few  seconds,  or  all  is  over 

with  me  in  this  world." 

Scarcely  had  the  thought  crossed  his  mind  than  the 
lane  took  a  sudden  turning  ;  and  he  found  himself  hid- 
den from  his  enemies.  There  are  circumstances  in 
which  even  the  least  energetic  of  mankind  learn  to 
behave  with  vigor  and  decision  ;  and  the  more  cautious 
forget  their  prudence-  and  emhrace    foolhardy  resolu- 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  105 

tions.  This  was  one  of  those  occasions  for  Harry 
Hartley  ;  and  those  who  knew  him  best  would  have 
been  the  most  astonished  at  the  lad's  audacity.  He 
stopped  dead,  flung  the  bandbox  over  a  garden  wall, 
and  leaping  upward  with  incredible  agility  and  seizing 
the  copestone  with  his  hands,  he  tumbled  headlong 
after  it  into  the  garden. 

He  came  to  himself  a  moment  afterwards,  seated  in 
a  border  of  small  rosebushes.  His  hands  and  knees 
were  cut  and  bleeding,  for  the  wall  had  been  protected 
against  such  an  escalade  by  a  liberal  provision  of  old 
bottles  ;  and  he  was  conscious  of  a  general  dislocation 
and  a  painful  swimming  in  the  head.  Facing  him 
across  the  garden,  which  was  in  admirable  order,  and 
set  with  flowers  of  the  most  delicious  perfume,  he 
beheld  the  back  of  a  house.  It  was  of  considerable 
extent,  and  plainly  habitable  ;  but,  in  odd  contrast  to 
the  grounds,  it  was  crazy,  ill-kept,  and  of  a  mean 
appearance.  On  all  other  sides  the  circuit  of  the  gar- 
den wall  appeared  unbroken. 

He  took  in  these  features  of  the  scene  with  mechan- 
ical glances,  but  his  mind  was  still  unable  to  piece 
together  or  draw  a  rational  conclusion  from  what  he 
saw.  And  when  he  heard  footsteps  advancing  on 
the  gravel,  although  he  turned  his  eyes  in  that 
direction,  it  was  with  no  thought  either  for  defense 
or  flight. 

The  new  comer  was  a  large,  coarse,  and  very  sordid 
personage,  in  gardening  clothes,  and  with  a  watering- 
pot  in  his  left  hand.  One  less  confused  would  have 
been  affected  with  some  alarm  at  the  sight  of  tin's 
man's  huge  proportions  and  black  and  lowering  eyes. 
But  Harry  was  too  gravely  shaken  by  his  fall  to  be  so 
much  as  terrified  ;  and  if  he  was  unable  to  divert  his 
glances  from  the  gardener,  he  remained  absolutely 
passive,  and  suffered  him  to  draw  near,  to  take  him 
by  the  shoulder,  and  to  plant  him  roughly  on  his  feet, 
without  a  motion  of  resistance. 

For  a  moment  the  two  stared  into  each  other's  eyes, 


106  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

Harry  Fascinated,  the  man  filled  with  wrath  and  a  cruel, 
sneering  humor. 

"  Who  arc  you  ?"  he  demanded  at  last.  "Who  are 
ome  flying  over  my  wall  and  break  my  Gloin 
■  /     What  is  your  name?"  he  added,  shaking 

him  ;  ''and  what  may  be  your  business  here?" 

Harry  could  not  as  much  as  proffer  a  word  in 
explanation. 

But  just  at  that  moment  Pendragon  and  the  butch- 
er's boy  went  clumping  past,  and  the  sound  of  their 
feet  and  their  hoarse  cries  echoed  loudly  in  the  nar- 
row lane.  The  gardener  had  received  his  answer  ;  and 
he  looked  down  into  Harry's  face  with  an  obnoxious 
smile. 

"  A  thief  !  "  he  said.  "  Upon  my  -word,  and  a  very 
good  thing  you  must  make  of  it  ;  for  I  see  you  dressed 
like  a  gentleman  from  top  to  toe.  Are  you  not 
ashamed  to  go  about  the  world  in  such  a  trim,  with 
honest  folk,  I  dare  say,  glad  to  buy  your  cast-off  finery 
second-hand  ?  Speak  up,  you  dog,"  the  man  went  on  ; 
"  you  can  understand  English,  I  suppose  ;  and  1  mean 
to  have  a  bit  of  talk  with  you  before  I  march  you  to 
the  station." 

"  Indeed,  sir,"  said  Harry,  "  this  is  all  a  dreadful  mis- 
conception ;  and  if  you  will  go  with  me  to  Sir  Thomas 
Vandeleur's  in  Eaton  Place,  I  can  promise  that  all  will 
be  made  plain.  The  most  upright  person,  as  I  now 
perceive,  can  be  led  into  suspicious  positions." 

"  My  little  man,"  replied  the  gardener,  "  I  will  go 
with  you  no  farther  than  the  station-house  in  the  next 
t.  The  inspector,  no  doubt,  will  be  glad  to  take 
a  stroll  with  you  as  far  as  Eaton  Place,  and  have  a  bit 
of  afternoon  tea  with  your  great  acquaintances.  Or 
would  you  prefer  to  go  direct  to  the  Home  Secretary  ? 
Sir  Thomas  Vandcleur,  indeed  .'  Perhaps  you  think  I 
don't  know  a  gentleman  when  I  see  one,  from  a  com- 
mon run-the-hedgc  like  you  ?  Clothes  or  no  clothes,  I 
can  read  you  like  a  book.  Here  is  a  shirt  that  maybe 
cost  as  much  as  my  Sunday  hat  ;  and  that  coat,  I  take 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  107 

it,  has  never  seen  the  inside  of  Rag-fair,  and  then  your 
boots — " 

The  man,  whose  eyes  had  fallen  upon  the  ground, 
stopped  short  in  his  insulting  commentary,  and 
remained  for  a  moment  looking  intently  upon  something 
at  his  feet.  When  he  spoke  his  voic-e  was  strangely 
altered. 

"  What,  in  God's  name,"  said  he,  *'  is  all  this  ?" 
Harry,  following  the  direction  of  the  man's  eyes, 
beheld  a  spectacle  that  struck  him  dumb  with  terror 
and  amazement.  In  his  fall  he  had  descended  vertic- 
ally upon  the  bandbox  and  burst  it  open  from  end  to 
end  ;  thence  a  great  treasure  of  diamonds  had  poured 
forth,  and  now  lay  abroad,  part  trodden  in  the  soil, 
part  scattered  on  the  surface  in  regal  and  glittering 
profusion.  There  was  a  magnificent  coronet  which  he 
had  often  admired  on  Lady  Vandeleur  ;  there  were 
rings  and  brooches,  ear-drops  and  bracelets,  and  even 
unset  brilliants  rolling  here  and  there  among  the 
rosebushes  like  drops  of  morning  dew.  A  princely 
fortune  lay  between  the  two  men  upon  the  ground — a 
fortune  in  the  most  inviting,  solid,  and  durable  form, 
capable  of  being  carried  in  an  apron,  beautiful  in  itself, 
and  scattering  the  sunlight  in  a  million  rainbow  flashes. 
"  Good  God  !  "  said  Harry,  "  I  am  lost !  " 
His  mind  raced  backward  into  the  past  with  the 
incalculable  velocity  of  thought,  and  he  began  to  com- 
prehend his  day's  adventures,  to  conceive  them  as  a 
whole,  and  to  recognize  the  sad  imbroglio  in  which  his 
own  character  and  fortunes  had  become  involved.  He 
looked  round  him,  as  if  for  help,  but  lie  was  alone  in 
the  garden,  with  his  scattered  diamonds  and  his 
redoubtable  interlocutor  ;  and  when  he  gave  ear,  there 
was  no  sound  but  the  rustle  of  the  leaves  and  the 
hurried  pulsation  of  his  heart.  It  was  little  wonder 
if  the  young  man  felt  himself  a  little  deserted  by 
his  spirits,  and  with  a  broken  voice  repeated  hi*  last 
ejaculation — 
"  I  am  lost  !  " 


10S  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

The  gardener  peered  in  all  directions  with  an  air  of 
guilt  :  but  th  no  face  at  any  of  the  windows, 

and  he  seemed  to  breathe  again. 

"  Pick  up  a  heart,"  lie  said,  "you  fool  !  The  worst 
»ne.  Why  could  you  not  say  at  first  there 
Two  I  "  he  repeated,  "aye,  and 
for  two  hundred  !  But  come  away  from  here,  where 
we  may  be  observed  ;  and,  for  the  love  of  wisdom, 
straighten  out  your  hat  and  brush  your  clothes.  You 
could  not  travel  two  steps  the  figure  of  fun  you  look 
just  now." 

While  Harry  mechanically  adopted  these  sugges- 
tions, the  gardener,  getting  upon  his  knees,  hastily 
drew  together  the  scattered  jewels  and  returned  them 
to  the  bandbox.  The  touch  of  these  costly  crystals 
sent  a  shiver  of  emotion  through  the  man's  stalwart 
frame  ;  his  face  was  transfigured,  and  his  eyes  shone 
with  concupiscence  ;  indeed  it  seemed  as  if  he  luxuri- 
ously prolonged  his  occupation,  and  dallied  with  every 
diamond  that  he  handled.  At  last,  however,  it  was 
done  ;  and,  concealing  the  bandbox  in  his  smock,  the 
gardener  beckoned  to  Harry  and  preceded  him  in  the 
direction  of  the  house. 

Near  the  door  they  were  met  by  a  young  man  evi- 
dently in  holy  orders,  dark  and  strikingly  handsome, 
with  a  look  of  mingled  weakness  and  resolution, 
and  very  neatly  attired  after  the  manner  of  his  caste. 
The  gardener  was  plainly  annoyed  by  this  encounter  ; 
but  he  put  as  good  a  face  upon  it  as  he  could,  and 
accosted  the  clergyman  with  an  obsequious  and  smil- 
ing air. 

"  Here  is  a  fine  afternoon,  Mr.  Rolles,"  said  he  :  "a 
fine  afternoon,  as  sure  as  God  made  it !  And  here  is  a 
young  friend  of  mine  who  had  a  fancy  to  look  at  my 
roses.  I  took  the  liberty  to  bring  him  in,  for  I  thought 
none  of  the  lodgers  would  object." 

"  Speaking  for  myself,"  replied  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Rolles,  "  I  do  not  ;  nor  do  I  fancy  any  of  the  rest  of 
us  would  be  more  difficult  upon  so  small  a  matter. 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  109 

The  garden  is  your  own,  Mr.  Raeburn  ;  we  must  none 
of  us  forget  that  ;  and  b .cause  you  give  us  liberty  to 
walk  there  we  should  be  indeed  ungracious  if  we  so  far 
presumed  upon  your  politeness  as  to  interfere  with  the 
convenience  of  your  friends.  But,  on  second  thoughts," 
he  added,  "  I  believe  that  this  gentleman  and  I  have  met 
before.  Mr.  Hartley,  I  think.  I  regret  to  observe 
that  you  have  had  a  fall." 

And  he  offered  his  hamr. 

A  sort  of  maiden  dignity  and  a  desire  to  delay  as 
long  as  possible  the  necessity  for  explanation  moved 
Harry  to  refuse  this  chance  of  help,  and  to  deny  his 
own  identity.  He  chose  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
gardener,  who  was  at  least  unknown  to  him,  rather 
than  the  curiosity  and  perhaps  the  doubts  of  an 
acquaintance. 

"I  fear  there  is  some  mistake,"  said  he.  "My 
name  is  Thomlinson  and  I  am  a  friend  of  Mr.  Rae- 
burn's." 

"  Indeed  ?  "  said  Mr.  Rolles.  "  The  likeness  13 
amazing." 

Mr.  Raeburn,  who  had  been  upon  thorns  through- 
out this  colloquy,  now  felt  it  high  time  to  bring  it  to  a 
period. 

"  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  saunter,  sir,"  said  he. 

And  with  that  he  dragged  Harry  after  him  into  the 
house,  and  then  into  a  chamber  on  the  garden.  His 
first  care  was  to  draw  down  the  blind,  for  Mr.  Rolles 
still  remained  where  they  had  left  him,  in  an  attitude 
of  perplexity  and  thought.  Then  he  emptied  the 
broken  bandbox  on  the  table,  and  stood  before  the 
treasure,  thus  fully  displayed,  with  an  expression  of 
rapturous  greed,  and  rubbing  his  hands  upon  his  thighs. 
For  Harry,  the  sight  of  the  man's  face  under  the  influ- 
ence of  this  base  emotion,  added  another  pang  to  those 
he  was  already  suffering.  It  seemed  incredible  that, 
from  his  life  of  pure  and  delicate  trifling,  he  should  be 
plunged  in  a  breath  among  sordid  and  criminal  rela- 
tions.   He  could  reproach  his  conscience  with  no  sinful 


no  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

act  ,  and  yet  he  was  now  suffering  the  punishment  o! 
sin  in  its  most  acute  and  cruel  forms — the  dread  of 
punishment,  the  suspicions  of  the  good,  and  the  i  om- 
panionship  and  contamination  of  vile  and  brutal 
nature-  He  felt  he  could  lay  his  life  down  with  glad- 
ness to  escape  from  the  room  and,  the  society  of  Mr. 
Raebum. 

'"And  now,"  said  the  latter,  after  lie  had  separated 
the  jewels  into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  and  drawn  one 
of  them  nearer  to  himself  ;  "and  now,"  said  he,  "  every- 
thing in  this  world  has  to  be  paid  for,  and  some  things 
sweetly.  You  must  know,  Mr.  Hartley,  if  such  be  your 
name,  that  I  am  a  man  of  a  very  easy  temper,  and  good 
nature  has  been  my  stumbling  block  from  first  to  last. 
I  could  pocket  the  whole  of  these  pretty  pebbles,  if  I 
(  hose,  and  I  should  like  to  see  you  dare  to  say  a  word; 
but  I  think  I  must  have  taken  a  liking  to  you  ;  for  I 
declare  I  have  not  the  heart  to  shave  you  so  close.  So, 
do  you  see,  in  pure  kind  feeling,  I  propose  that  we 
divide  ;  and  these,"  indicating  the  two  heaps,  "  are  the 
proportions  that  seem  to  me  just  and  friendly.  Do  you 
see  any  objection,  Mr.  Hartley,  may  I  ask?  I  am  not 
the  man  to  stick  upon  a  brooch." 

"  But,  sir,"  cried  Harry,  "  what  you  propose  to  me 
is  impossible.  The  jewels  are  not  mine,  and  I  cannot 
share  what  is  another's,  no  matter  with  whom,  nor  in 
what  proportions." 

"They  are  not  yours,  are  they  not?"  returned 
Raeburn.  "  And  you  could  not  share  them  with  any- 
body, couldn't  you  ?  Well  now,  that  is  what  I  call  a 
pity  ;  for  here  I  am  obliged  to  take  you  to  the  station. 
The  police — think  of  that,"  he  continued  ;  "  think  of 
the  disgrace  for  your  respectable  parents  ;  think,"  he 
went  on,  taking  Harry  by  the  wrist;  "think  of  the 
Colonies  and  the  Day  of  Judgment." 

"I  cannot  help  it,"  wailed  Harry.  "It  is  not  my 
fault.     You  will  not  come  with  me  to  Eaton  Place." 

"  No,"  replied  the  man,  "  I  will  not,  that  is  certain. 
And  I  mean  to  divide  these  playthings  with  you  here." 


THE  RA  JAH'S  DIAMOND.  1 1 1 

And  so  saying  he  applied  a  sudden  and  severe  tor- 
sion to  the  lad's  wrist. 

Harry  could  not  suppress  a  scream,  and  the  perspira- 
tion burst  forth  upon  his  face.  Perhaps  pain  and 
terror  quickened  his  intelligence,  but  certainly  at  that 
moment  the  whole  business  flashed  across  him  in 
another  light  ;  and  he  saw  that  there  was  nothing  for 
it  but  to  accede  to  the  ruffian's  proposal,  and  trust  to 
find  the  house  and  force  him  to  disgorge,  under  more 
favorable  circumstances,  and  when,  he  himself  was 
clear  from  all  suspicion. 

"  I  agree,"  he  said. 

"  There  is  a  lamb,"  sneered  the  gardener.  "  I  thought 
you  would  recognize  your  interests  at  last.  This  band- 
box," he  continued,  "  I  shall  burn  with  my  rubbish;  it  is 
a  thing  that  curious  folk  might  recognize;  and  as  for  you, 
scrape  up  your  gaieties  and  put  them  in  your  pocket." 

Harry  proceeded  to  obey,  Raeburn  watching  him, 
and  every  now  and  again,  his  greed  rekindled  by  some 
bright  scintillation,  abstracting  another  jewel  from  the 
secretary's  share,  and  adding  it  to  his  own. 

When  this  was  finished,  both  proceeded  to  the  front 
door,  which  Raeburn  cautiously  opened  to  obcerve 
the  street.  This  was  apparently  clear  of  passengers  ; 
for  he  suddenly  seized  Harry  by  the  nape  of  the  neck, 
and  holding  his  face  downward  so  that  he  could  see 
nothing  but  the  roadway  and  the  doorsteps  of  the 
houses,  pushed  him  violently  before  him  down  one 
street  and  up  another  for  .the  space  of  perhaps  a 
minute  and  a  half.  Harry  had  counted  three  corners 
before  the  bully  relaxed  his  grasp,  and  crying,  "  Now 
be  off  with  you  !  "  sent  the  lad  flying  headforemost 
with  a  well-directed  and  athletic  kick. 

When  Harry  gathered  himself  up,  half-stunned  and 
bleeding  freely  at  the  nose,  Mr.  Raeburn  had  entirely 
disappeared.  For  the  first  time,  anger  and  pain  so 
completely  overcame  the  lad's  spirits  that  he  burst  into 
a  fit  of  tears  and  remained  sobbing  in  the  middle  of 
the  road. 


i  1 1  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

After  he  had  thus  somewhat  assuaged  his  emotion, 

he  began  to  look  about  him  and  read  the  names  of  the 

ts  at  whose  intersection  he  had  been  deserted  by 

irdener.    He  was  still  in  an  unfrequented  portion 
of  West  London)  among  villas  and  Large  gardens;  but 

he  could  ■  persons  at   a  window  who  had  evi- 

dently witnessed  his  misfortune;  and  almost  immedi- 
ately after  a  servant  came  running  from  the  house  and 
offered  him  a  glass  of  water.  At  the  same  time,  a 
dirty  rogue,  who  had  been  slouching  somewhere  in  the 
borhood,  drew  near  him  from  the  other  side. 
Poor  fellow,"  said  the  maid,  "how  vilely  you  have 
been  handled,  to  be  sure  !  Why,  your  knees  are  all 
cut,  and  your  clothes  ruined  !  Do  you  know  the 
wretch  who  used  you  so?" 

"  That  I  do ! "  cried  Harry,  who  was  somewhat 
refreshed  by  the  water;  "and  shall  run  him  home  in 
spite  of  his  precautions.  He  shall  pay  dearly  for  this 
day"s  work,  1  promise  you." 

"  You  had  better  come  into  the  house  and  have 
yourself  washed  and  brushed,"  continued  the   maid. 

My  mistress  will  make  you  welcome,  never  fear. 
And  see,  I  will  pick  up  your  hat.  Why,  love  of 
mercy  !  "  she  screamed,  "  if  you  have  not  dropped 
diamonds  all  over  the  street  !  " 

Such  was  the  case  ;  a  good  half  of  what  remained  to 
him  after  the  depredations  of  Mr.  Raeburn,  had  been 
shaken  out  of  his  pockets  by  the  summersault,  and 
once  more  lay  glittering  on  the  ground.  He  blessed 
his  fortune  that  the  maid  had  been  so  quick  of  eye  ; 
"  there  is  nothing  so  bad  but  it  might  be  worse," 
thought  he  ;  and  the  recovery  of  these  few  seemed  to 
him  almost  as  great  an  affair  as  the  loss  of  all  the  rest. 
But,  alas  !  as  he  stooped  to  pick  up  his  treasures  the 
loiterer  made  a  rapid  onslaught,  overset  both  Harry 
and  the  maid  with  a  movement  of  his  arms,  swept  up 
a  double  handful  of  the  diamonds,  and  made  off  along 
the  street  with  an  amazing  swiftness. 

Harry,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  upon  his  feet,  gave 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  1 13 

chase  to  the  miscreant  with  many  cries,  but  the  latter 
was  too  fleet  of  foot,  and  probably  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  locality  ;  for  turn  where  the  pursuer  would  he 
could  find  no  traces  of  the  fugitive. 

In  the  deepest  despondency  Harry  revisited  the 
scene  of  his  mishap,  where  the  maid,  who  was  still 
waiting,  very  honestly  returned  him  his  hat  and  the 
remainder  of  the  fallen  diamonds.  Harry  thanked  her 
from  his  heart,  and  being  now  in  no  humor  for  econ- 
omy, made  his  way  to  the  nearest  cabstand  and  set  off 
for  Eaton  Place  by  coach. 

The  house,  on  his  arrival,  seemed  in  some  confusion, 
as  if  a  catastrophe  had  happened  in  the  family  ;  and 
the  servants  clustered  together  in  the  hall,  and 
were  unable,  or  perhaps  not  altogether  anxious,  to  sup- 
press their  merriment  at  the  tatterdemalion  figure  of 
the  secretary.  He  passed  them  with  as  good  an  air  of 
dignity  as  he  could  assume,  and  made  directly  for  the 
boudoir.  When  he  opened  the  door  an  astonishing 
and  even  menacing  spectacle  presented  itself  to  his 
eyes  ;  for  he  beheld  the  General  and  his  wife  and,  of 
all  people,  Charlie  Pendragon,  closeted  together  and 
speaking  with  earnestness  and  gravity  on  some  import- 
ant subject.  Harry  saw  at  once  that  there  was  little 
left  for  him  to  explain — plenary  confession  had  plainly 
been  made  to  the  General  of  the  intended  fraud  upon 
his  pocket,  and  the  unfortunate  miscarriage  of  the 
scheme  ;  and  they  had  all  made  common  cause  against 
a  common  danger. 

"Thank  Heaven!"  cried  Lady  Vandeleur,  "  here 
he  is  !     The  bandbox,  Harry — the  bandbox  !  " 

But  Harry  stood  before  them  silent  and  downcast. 

"  Speak  !  "  she  cried.  "  Speak  !  Where  is  the 
bandbox  ?" 

And  the  men,  with  threatening  gestures,  repeated 
the  demand. 

Harry  drew  a  handful  of  jewels  from  his  pocket. 
He  was  very  white, 

"  This  is  all  that  remains,"  said  he.  "  I  declare 
8 


i  i  i  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

!:  n   it  \v:is  through  QO  fault  of   mine;    and 

it  you  will  have  patience,  although  some  are  lost,  1  am 
there,  1  am  sure,  may  be  still  recov- 
!" 

Vandeleur,  "  all  our  diamonds 
are  gone,  and  1  owe  ninety  thousand  pounds  for 
dress 

"  Madam,"  said  the  General,  "you  might  have  paved 
the  gutter  with  your  own  tra.^h  ;  you  might  have  made 
debts  to  titty  times  the  sum  you  mention  ;  you  might 
have  robbed  me  of  my  mother's  coronet  and  rings  ;  and 
Nature  might  have  still  so  far  prevailed  that  J  could 
have  forgiven  you  at  last.  But,  madam,  you  have 
taken  the  Rajah's  Diamond — the  Eye  of  Light,  as  the 
Orientals  poetically  termed  it — the  Pride  of  Kashgar  ! 
You  have  taken  from  me  the  Rajah's  Diamond,"  he 
:.  raising  his  hands,  "and  all,  madam,  all  is  at  an 
end  between  us  !  " 

"  Believe  me,  General  Vandeleur,"  she  replied, 
"that  is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  speeches  that  ever 
I  heard  from  your  lips  ;  and  since  we  are  to  be  ruined 
I  could  almost  welcome  the  change,  if  it  delivers  me 
from  you.  You  have  told  me  often  enough  that  I 
married  you  for  your  money  ;  let  me  tell  you  now  that 
I  always  bitterly  repented  the  bargain  ;  and  if  you 
were  still  marriageable,  and  had  a  diamond  bigger  than 
your  head,  I  should  counsel  even  my  maid  against  a 
union  so  uninviting  and  disastrous.  As  for  you,  Mr. 
ley,"  she  continued,  turning  on  the  secretary, 
"you  have  sufficiently  exhibited  your  valuable  quali- 
ties in  this  house  ;  we  are  now  persuaded  that  you 
equally  lack  manhood,  sense  and  self-respect ;  and  I 
can  see  only  one  course  open  for  you — to  withdraw 
instanter,  and,  if  possible,  return  no  more.  For  your 
iu  may  rank  as  a  creditor  in  my  late  husband's 
bankruptcy." 

Harry  had  scarcely  comprehended  this  insulting 
address  before  the  General  was  down  upon  him  with 
another. 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  115 

"And  in  the  mean  time,"  said  that  personage,  "fol- 
low me  before  the  nearest  Inspector  of  Police.  You 
may  impose  upon  a  simple-minded  soldier,  sir,  but  the 
eye  of  the  law  will  read  your  disreputable  secret.  If  I 
must  spend  my  old  age  in  poverty  through  your  under- 
hand intriguing  with  my  wife,  I  mean  at  least  that  you 
shall  not  remain  unpunished  for  your  pains  ;  and  God, 
sir,  will  deny  me  a  very  considerable  satisfaction  if  you 
do  not  pick  oakum  from  now  until  your  dying  day." 

With  that  the  General  dragged  Harry  from  the  apart- 
ment, and  hurried  him  downstairs  and  along  the  street 
to  the  police-station  of  the  district. 

Here  (says  my  Arabian  author)  ended  this  deplorable 
business  of  the  bandbox.  But  to  the  unfortunate  Secre- 
tary the  7uhole  affair  was  the  beginning  of  a  neiv  and  man- 
lier life.  The  police  were  easily  persuaded  of  his  inno- 
cence ;  and,  after  he  had  given  what  help  he  could  in  the 
subsequent  investigations,  he  was  even  complimented  by  one 
of  the  chiefs  of  the  detective  department  on  the  probity  and 
simplicity  of  his  behavior.  Several  persons  interested 
themselves  in  one  so  unfortunate  j  and  soon  after  he  inher- 
ited a  sum  of  money  from  a  maiden  aunt  in  Worcestershire. 
With  this  he  married  Prudence,  and  set  sail  for  Bendigo, 
or  according  to  another  account,  for  Trincomalee,  exceed- 
ingly content,  and  with  the  best  of  prospects. 


STORY  OF    THE    YOUNG   MAN  IN  HOLY 
ORDERS. 


The  Reverend  Mr.  Simon  Rolles  had  distinguished 

himself  in  the  Mural  Sciences,  and  was  mote  than 
lly  proficient  in  the  study  of  Divinity.  His  essay 
"  ( m  the  Christian  1  doctrine  of  the  s-><  ial  I  Obligations" 
obtained  for  him  at  the  moment  of  its  production,  a 
certain  celebrity  in  the  University  of  Oxford;  and  it 
understood  in  clerical  and  learned  circles  that 
young  Mr.  Rolles  had  in  contemplation  a  considerable 
work — a  folio,  it  was  said — on  the  authority  of  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church.  These  attainments,  these  ambi- 
tious designs,  however,  were  far  from  helping  him  to 
any  preferment  ;  and  still  he  was  in  quest  of  his  first 
curacy  when  a  chance  ramble  in  that  part  of  London, 
the  peaceful  and  rich  aspect  of  the  garden,  a  desire 
for  solitude  and  study,  and  the  cheapness  of  the  lodg- 
ing, led  him  to  take  up  his  abode  with  Mr.  Raeburn,  the 
nurseryman  of  Stockdove  Lane. 

It  was  his  habit  every  afternoon,  after  lie  had  worked 
seven  or  eight  hours  on  St.  Ambrose  or  St.  Chrysostom, 
to  walk  for  a  while  in  meditation  among  the  roses. 
And  this  was  usually  one  of  the  most  productive 
moments  of  his  day.  But  even  a  sincere  appetite  for 
thought,  and  the  excitement  of  grave  problems  await- 
ing solution,  are  not  always  suffii  ient  to  preserve  the 
mind  of  the  philosopher  against  the  pett)  shocks  and 
contai  ts  of  the  world.  And  when  Mr.  Rolles  found 
ral  Vandeleur's  secretary,  ragged  and  bleeding, 
in  the  company  of  the  landlord;  when  he  saw  both 
olor  and  seek  to  avoid  his  questions;  and, 
above  all,  when  the  former  denied  his  own  identity 
with  the  most  unmoved  assurance,  he  speedily  forgot 
the  Saints  and  Fathers  in  the  vulgar  interest  of  curiosity. 
116 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIA  MOND.  1 1 7 

"  I  cannot  be  mistaken,"  thought  he.  "  That  is  Mr. 
Hartley  beyond  a  doubt.  How  comes  he  in  such  a 
pickle  ?  why  does  he  deny  his  name  ?  and  what  can  be  his 
business  with  that  black-looking  ruffian,  my  landlord  ?  " 

As  he  was  thus  reflecting,  another  peculiar  circum- 
stance attracted  his  attention.  The  face  of  Mr.  Rae- 
burn  appeared  at  a  low  window  next  the  door  ;  and,  as 
chance  directed,  his  eyes  met  those  of  Mr.  Rolles. 
The  nurseryman  seemed  disconcerted,  and  even 
alarmed  ;  and  immediately  after  the  blind  of  the  apart- 
ment was  pulled  sharply  down. 

"  This  may  all  be  very  well,"  reflected  Mr.  Rolles; 
"  it  may  be  all  excellently  well;  but  I  confess  freely 
that  I  do  not  think  so.  Suspicious,  underhand,  untruth- 
ful, fearful  of  observation — I  believe  upon  my  soul," 
he  thought,  "  the  pair  are  plotting  some  disgraceful 
action." 

The  detective  that  there  is  in  all  of  us  awoke  and 
became  clamant  in  the  bosom  of  Mr.  Rolles;  and  with 
a  brisk,  eager  step,  that  bore  no  resemblance  to  his 
usual  gait,  he  proceeded  to  make  the  circuit  of  the 
garden.  When  he  came  to  the  scene  of  Harry's  esca- 
lade, his  eye  was  at  once  arrested  by  a  broken  rosebud 
and  marks  of  trampling  on  the  mole.  He  looked 
up,  and  saw  scratches  on  the  brick,  and  a  rag  of  trouser 
floating  from  a  broken  bottle.  This,  then,  was  the 
mode  of  entrance  chosen  by  Mr.  Raeburn's  particular 
friend  !  It  was  thus  that  General  Vandeleur's  secre- 
tary came  to  admire  a  flower-garden  !  The  young 
clergyman  whistled  softly  to  himself  as  he  stooped  to 
examine  the  ground.  He  could  make  out  where 
Hany  had  landed  from  his  perilous  leap;  he  recog- 
nized the  flat  foot  of  Mr.  Raeburn  where  it  had  sunk 
deeply  in  the  soil  as  he  pulled  up  the  Secretary  by  the 
collar;  nay,  on  a  closer  inspection,  he  seemed  to  dis- 
tinguish the  marks  of  groping  fingers,  as  though  some- 
thing had  been  spilt  abroad  and  eagerly  collected. 

"Upon  my  word,"  be  thought,  "  the  thing  grows 
vastly  interesting." 


tiS  V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

\'ul  just  then  he  caught  sight  <>f  something  almoin 
entirely  buried  in  the  earth.  In  an  instant  he  had  dis- 
interred a  dainty  morocco  case,  ornamented  and 
i  gilt  It  had  been  trodden  heavily  under 
foot,  and  thus  escaped  the  hurried  sear<  h  of  Mr.  Rae- 
burn.  Mr.  Rolles  opened  the  case,  and  drew  a  ; 
breath  of  almost  horrified  astonishment;  for  there  lay 
re  him,  in  a  cradle  of  green  velvet,  a  diamond  of 
prodigious  magnitude  and  of  the  finest  water.     [| 

i  of  a  duck's  egg;  beautifully  shaped,  and 
without  a  flaw;  and  as  the  sun  shone  upon  it,  it  gave 
forth  a  lustre  like  that  of  electricity,  and  seemed  to 
burn  in  his  hand  with  a  thousand  internal  fires. 

He  knew  little  of  precious  stones;  but  the  Rajah's 
Diamond  was  a  wonder  that  explained  itself;  a  village 
child,  if  he  found  it,  would  run  screaming  for  the  near- 
(ttage;  and  a  savage  would  prostrate  himself  in 
adoration  before  so  imposing  a  fetish.  The  beauty 
of  the  stone  flattered  the  young  clergyman's  eyes;  the 
thought  of  its  incalculable  value  overpowered  his  intel- 
lect. He  knew  that  what  he  held  in  his  hand  was 
wot tli  more  thin  many  years'  purchase  of  an  archie- 
piscopal  see;  that  it  would  build  cathedrals  more 
stately  than  Ely  or  Cologne;  that  he  who  possessed  it 
set  free  for  ever  from  the  primal  curse,  and  might 
follow  his  own  inclinations  without  concern  or  hurry, 
without  let  or  hindrance.  And  as  he  suddenly  turned 
it,  the  rays  leaped  forth  again  with  renewed  brilliancy, 
and  seemed  to  pierce  his  very  heart. 

Decisive  actions  are  often   taken  in   a  moment  and 
without  any   conscious  deliverance   from    the   rational 
of  man.      So   it   v.  with    Mr.    Rolles.      lie- 

glanced  hurriedly    round;  beheld,  like   Mr.    Raeburn 
re  him,  nothing   but  the  sunlit   llower-garden,  the 
tall  tree-tops,  and  the  house  with  blinded  windows  ;  and 
in  a  trice  he  had  shut  the  case,  thrust  it  into  his  pocket, 
and  was  hastening  to  his  study  with  the  speed  of  guilt. 
The  Reverend  Simon  Rolles  had  stolen  the  Rajah's 
.  md. 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  1 19 

Early  in  the  afternoon  the  police  arrived  with  Harry 
Hartley.  The  nurseryman,  who  was  beside  himself 
with  terror,  readily  discovered  his  hoard;  and  the 
jewels  were  identified  and  inventoried  in  the  presence 
of  the  Secretary.  As  for  Mr.  Rolles,  he  showed  him- 
self in  a  most  obliging  temper,  communicated  what  he 
knew  with  freedom,  and  professed  regret  that  he  could 
do  no  more  to  help  the  officers  in  their  duty. 

"  Still,"  he  added,  "  I  suppose  your  business  is 
nearly  at  an  end." 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  the  man  from  Scotland 
Yard;  and  he  narrated  the  second  robbery  of  which 
Harry  had  been  the  immediate  victim,  and  gave  the 
young  clergyman  a  description  of  the  more  important 
jewels  that  were  still  not  found,  dilating  particularly 
on  the  Rajah's  Diamond. 

"  It  must  be  worth  a  fortune,"  observed  Mr.  Rolles. 

"  Ten  fortunes — twenty  fortunes,"  cried  the  officer. 

"  The  more  it  is  worth,"  remarked  Simon,  shrewdly, 
"the  more  difficult  it  must  be  to  sell.  Such  a  thing 
has  a  physiognomy  not  to  be  disguised,  and  I  should 
fancy  a  man  might  as  easily  negotiate  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral." 

"  Oh,  truly  !  "  said  the  officer;  "  but  if  the  thief  be  a 
man  of  any  intelligence,  he  will  cut  it  into  three  or 
four,  and  there  will  be  still  enough  to  make  him  rich." 

'"Thank  you,"  said  the  clergyman.  "You  cannot 
imagine  how  much  your  conversation  interests  me." 

Whereupon  the  functionary  admitted  that  they  knew 
many  strange  things  in  his  profession,  and  immediately 
after  took  his  leave. 

Mr.  Rolles  regained  his  apartment.  It  seemed 
smaller  and  barer  than  usual;  the  materials  for  his 
great  work  had  never  presented  so  little  interest;  and 
he  looked  upon  his  library  with  the  eye  of  scorn.  He 
took  down,  volume  by  volume,  several  Fathers  of  the 
Church,  and  glanced  them  through;  but  they  contained 
nothing  to  his  purpose. 

"  These  old  gentlemen,"  thought  he,  "  are  no  doubt 


izo  .\7  W  ARABIAN  XI CUTS. 

very  valuable  writers,  but  they  seem  to  me  conspicu- 
t   of    life.     Here   am    I,   with   learning 
a  Bishop,  am!  I  positively  do  not  know 
n  diamond.     I   glean  a  hint 
on  policeman,  and,  with  all  my  folios,  I 
much  as  put  it  into  execution.     This  inspires 
with  very  low  ideas  "i   University  training." 
1  [<  rewith  he  kicked  over  his  book-shelf  and,  putting 
on  his  hat,  hastened  from   the  house  to  the  club  of 
which  he  was  a  member.     In  such  a  place  of  mundane 
r<  sort  he  hoped  to  find  seme  man  of  good  counsel  and 
a  shrewd   experience  in  lite.      In   the  reading-room   he 
many  of  the  country  clergy  and  an  Archdeacon; 
there    were    three   journalists  and   a  writer  upon    the 
Higher  Metaphysic,  playing  pool;  and  at  dinner  only 
the  raff   of   ordinary  club   frequenters   showed    their 
common-place  and  obliterated  countenances.     None  of 
these,  thought  Mr.  Rolles,  would  know  more  on  dan- 
US  topics  than  lie  knew  himself;  none  of  them  »\ere 
fit    to    give    him    guidance    in    his   present  strait.       \t 
length,  in  the  smoking-room,  up  many  weary  stairs,  he 
hit   upon  a  gentleman   of  somewhat  portly  build  and 
dressed  with  conspicuous  plainness,      lie  was  smoking 
_.irand   reading  the  Fortnightly   Reviews  his  face 
Angularly  free  from  all  sign  of  preoccupation  or 
fatigue;    and    there   was  something    in   his   air   which 
med  to  invite  confidence  and  to  expect  submission. 
The   more    the    young  (  lergyman   scrutinized    his  feat- 
ure -,  the  more  he  was  convinced  that  he  had  fallen  on 
one  capable  of  giving  pertinent  ad\  i< 

"  -  r,"  -     :.  hi-.  "y<  u  will  cm  use  my  abruptness;  but 
I  judge  you  from  your  appearam  e  to  be  preeminently 
n  of  the  world." 
'"J  have  indeed  con  iderable  claims  to  that  distinc- 
tion," replied   the  stranger,  laying  aside  his  magazine 
with  a  look  of  mingled  amusement  and  surprise. 

"I,  sir,"  continued  the  Curate,  "am  a  recluse,  a 
student,  a  creature  of  ink-bottles  and  patristic  folios. 
A  recent  event  has  brought  my  folly  vividly  before  my 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  121 

eyes,  and  I  desire  to  instruct  myself  in  life.  By  life," 
he  added,  "  I  do  not  mean  Thackeray's  novels;  but  the 
crimes  and  secret  possibilities  of  our  society,  and  the 
principles  of  wise  conduct  among  exceptional  events. 
I  am  a  patient  reader;  can  the  thing  be  learnt  in 
books  ?  " 

"  You  put  me  in  a  difficulty,"  said  the  stranger.  "  I 
confess  I  have  no  great  notion  of  the  use  of  books, 
except  to  amuse  a  railway  journey;  although,  I  believe, 
there  are  some  very  exact  treatises  on  astronomy,  the 
use  of  the  globes,  agriculture,  and  the  art  of  making 
paper-flowers.  Upon  the  less  apparent  provinces  of 
life  I  fear  you  will  find  nothing  truthful.  Yet  stay," 
he  added,  "  have  you  read  Gaboriau  ? " 

Mr.  Rolles  admitted  he  had  never  even  heard  the 
name. 

"  You  may  gather  some  notions  from  Gaboriau/' 
resumed  the  stranger.  "  He  is  at  least  suggestive; 
and  as  he  is  an  author  much  studied  by  Prince  Bis- 
marck, you  will,  at  the  worst,  lose  your  time  in  good 
society." 

"  Sir,"  said  the  Curate,  "  I  am  infinitely  obliged  by 
your  politeness." 

"  You  have  already  more  than  repaid  me,"  returned 
the  other. 

"  How  ? "  inquired  Simon. 

"  By  the  novelty  of  your  request,"  replied  the  gen- 
tleman; and  with  a  polite  gesture,  as  though  to  ask 
permission,  he  resumed  the  study  of  the  Fortnightly 
Revieiv. 

On  his  way  home  Mr.  Rolles  purchased  a  work  on 
precious  stones  and  several  of  Gaboriau's  novels. 
These  last  he  eagerly  skimmed  until  an  advanced  hour 
in  the  morning;  but  although  they  introduced  him  to 
many  new  ideas,  he  could  nowhere  discover  what  to  do 
with  a  stolen  diamond.  He  was  annoyed,  moreover, 
to  find  the  information  scattered  amongst  romantic 
story-telling,  instead  of  soberly  set  forth  after  the 
manner  of  a  manual;  and  he  concluded  that,  even  if 


122  ■:■  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

the  writer  had  thought  much  upon  these  subjects,  he 

totally  l.uking  m  educational  method.     For  the 

character  and  attainments  e»l   Le<  oq,  however,  he  was 

unabl  lin  his  admiration. 

"He  was   truly  a  great  creature,"  ruminated  Mr. 

RolK  -  "He  knew  the  world  as  I  know  Pal 
l  lences.  There  was  nothing  that  he  could  not  (  :rry 
to  a  termination  with  his  own  hand,  and  against  the 
;ds.  Heavens  !  "  he  broke  out  suddenly,  "  is 
not  this  the  lesson  ?  Must  I  not  learn  to  cut  diamonds 
for  myself !  " 

It  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  had  sailed  at  once  out  of 
his  perplexities;  he  remembered  that  he  knew  a  jew- 
eller, one  B.  Macculloch,  in  Edinburgh,  who  would  lie 
glad  to  put  him  in  the  way  of  the  necessary  training; 
a  few  months,  perhaps  a  few  years,  of  sordid  toil,  and 
he  would  be  sufficiently  expert  to  divide  and  suffi- 
ciently cunning  to  dispose  with  advantage  of  the  Ra- 
jah's Diamond.  That  done,  he  might  return  to  pursue 
his  researches  at  leisure,  a  wealthy  and  luxurious  stu- 
dent, envied  and  respected  by  all.  Golden  visions 
attended  him  through  his  slumber,  and  he  awoke 
refreshed  and  light-hearted  with  the  morning  sun. 

Mr.  Raeburn's  house  was  on  that  day  to  be  closed 
by  the  police,  and  this  afforded  a  pretext  for  his 
departure.  He  cheerfully  prepared  his  baggage,  trans- 
ported it  to  King's  Cross,  where  he  left  it  in  the  cloak- 
room, and  returned  to  the  club  to  while  away  the  after- 
noon and  dine. 

"If  you  dine  here  to-day,  Rolles,"  observed  an 
acquaintance,  "you  may  see  two  of  the  most  remark- 
able men  in  England — Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia, 
and  old  Jack  Vandeleur." 

"  I  have  heard  of  the  Prince,"  replied  Mr.  Rolles; 
"and  General  Vandeleur  I  have  even  met  in  society." 

"  General  Vandeleur  is  an  ass!  "  returned  the  other. 
"  This  is  his  brother  John,  the  biggest  adventurer,  the 
best  judge  of  precious  stones,  and  one  of  the  most 
acute  diplomatists  in  Europe.     Have  you  never  heard 


THE  RA  J AII'S  DIAMOND.  1 2$ 

ot  his  duel  with  the  Due  de  Val  d'Orge?  of  his 
exploits  and  atrocities  when  he  was  Dictator  of  Para- 
guay ?  of  his  dexterity  in  recovering  Sir  Samuel  Levy's 
jewelry  ?  nor  of  his  services  in  the  Indian  Mutiny — 
services  by  which  the  Government  profited,  but  which 
the  Government  dared  not  recognize?  You  make  me 
wonder  what  we  mean  by  fame,  or  even  by  infamy; 
for  Jack  Vandeleur  has  prodigious  claims  to  both. 
Run  down  stairs,"  he  continued,  "  take  a  table  near 
them,  and  keep  your  ears  open.  You  will  hear  some 
strange  talk,  or  I  am  much  misled." 

"  But  how  shall  I  know  them  ?  "  inquired  the  cler- 
gyman. 

"  Know  them  !  "  cried  his  friend;  "  why,  the  Prince 
is  the  finest  gentleman  in  Europe,  the  only  living  crea- 
ture who  looks  like  a  king;  and  as  for  Jack  Vande- 
leur, if  you  can  imagine  Ulysses  at  seventy  years  of 
age,  and  with  a  sabre-cut  across  his  face,  you  have  the 
man  before  you  !  Know  them,  indeed  !  Why,  you 
could  pick  either  of  them  out  of  a  Derby  day!  " 

Rolles  eagerly  hurried  to  the  dining-room.  It  was 
as  his  friend  had  asserted;  it  was  impossible  to  mis- 
take the  pair  in  question.  Old  John  Vandeleur  was 
of  remarkable  force  of  body,  and  obviously  broken  to 
the  most  difficult  exercises.  He  had  neither  the  car- 
riage of  a  swordsman,  nor  of  a  sailor,  nor  yet  of  one 
much  inured  to  the  saddle;  but  something  made  up  of 
all  these,  and  the  result  and  expression  of  many  dif- 
ferent habits  and  dexterities.  His  features  were  bold 
and  aquiline;  his  expression  arrogant  and  predatory; 
his  whole  appearance  that  of  a  swift,  violent,  unscru- 
pulous man  of  action;  and  his  copious  white  hair  and 
the  deep  sabre-cut  that  traversed  his  nose  and  temple 
added  a  note  of  savagery  to  a  head  already  remarka- 
ble and  menacing  in  itself. 

In  his  companion,  the  Prince  of  Bohemia,  Mr. 
Rolles  was  astonished  to  recognize  the  gentleman  who 
had  recommended  him  the  study  of  Gaboriau.  Doubt- 
less Prince  Florizel,  who  rarely  visited    the  club,  of 


i  -•  ;  .\7  //•  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

which,  as  of  most  others,  he  was  an  honorary  membi  r, 
had   been  waiting  for  John   Vandeleur    when  Simon 
isted  him  mi  the  previous  evening. 
The   other    diners  had    modestly    retired  into   the 
anglesof  the  room,  and  left  the  distinguished  pair  in  a 
in  isolation,  but  the  young  <  lergyman  was  unre- 
strained by  any  sentiment   of  awe,   and,   inarching  Up, 
at  the  nearest  table. 

The  conversation  was,  indeed,    new  to    the  student's 

The    ex-Dictator    of    Paraguay  stated   many 

extraordinary  experiences  in  different  quarters  of  the 
world;  and  the  Prince  supplied  a  commentary  which, 
to  a  man  of  thought,  was  even  more  interesting  than 
the  events  themselves.  Two  forms  of  experience  were 
thus  brought  together  and  laid  before  the  young  cler- 
gyman;  and  he  did  not  know  which  to  admire  the 
most — the  desperate  actor  or  the  skilled  expert  in  life; 
the  man  who  spoke  boidly  of  his  own  deeds  and  perils, 
or  the  man  who  seemed,  like  a  god,  to  know  all  things 
and  to  have  suffered  nothing.  The  manner  of  each 
aptly  fitted  with  his  part  in  the  discourse.  The  Dicta- 
tor indulged  in  brutalities  alike  of  speech  and  gesture; 
his  hand  opened  and  shut  and  fell  roughly  on  the  table; 
and  hjs  voice  was  loud  and  heady.  The  Prince,  on 
the  other  hand,  seemed  the  very  type  of  urbane  docil- 
ity and  quiet;  the  least  movement,  the  least  inflection, 
had  with  him  a  weightier  significance  than  all  the 
shouts  and  pantomime  of  his  companion;  and  if  ever, 
as  must  frequently  have  been  the  case,  he  described 
som  nee   personal  to   himself,   it  was  so  aptly 

dissimulated  as  to  pass  unnoticed  with  the  rest. 

At  length  the  talk  wandered  on  to  the  late  robberies 
and  I  h's  Diamond. 

"  That  diamond  would  be  better  in  the  sea," 
Mori/el. 

"As  a  Vandeleur,"  replied  the  Dictator,  "your  High- 
may  imagine  my  dissent." 

"  1  speak  on  grounds  of  public  policy,"  pursued  the 
Prin  vels  so   valuable  should    be    reserved   for 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  125 

the  collection  of  a  Prince  or  the  treasury  of  a  great 
nation.  To  hand  them  about  among  the  common 
sort  of  men  is  to  set  a  price  on  Virtue's  head;  and  if 
the  Rajah  of  Kashgar — a  Prince,  I  understand,  of 
great  enlightenment — desired  vengeance  upon  the  men 
of  Europe,  he  could  hardly  have  gone  more  effica- 
ciously about  his  purpose  than  by  sending  us  this 
apple  of  discord.  There  is  no  honesty  too  robust  for 
such  a  trial.  I  myself,  who  have  many  duties  and 
privileges  of  my  own — I  myself,  Mr.  Vandaleur,  could 
scarcely  handle  the  intoxicating  crystal  and  be  safe. 
As  for  you,  who  are  a  diamond-hunter  by  taste  and 
profession,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  crime  in  the 
calendar  you  would  not  perpetrate — I  do  not  believe 
you  have  a  friend  in  the  world  whom  you  would  not 
eagerly  betray — I  do  not  know  if  you  have  a  family, 
but  if  you  have  I  declare  you  would  sacrifice  your 
children — and  all  this  for  what?  Not  to  be  richer, 
nor  to  have  more  comforts  or  more  respect,  but 
simply  to  call  this  diamond  yours  for  a  year  or  two 
until  you  die,  and  now  and  again  to  open  a  safe  and 
look  at  it  as  one  looks  at  a  picture." 

"  It  is  true,"  replied  Vandeleur.  "  I  have  hunted 
most  things,  from  men  and  women  down  to  mosqui- 
tos;  I  have  dived  for  coral;  I  have  followed  both 
whales  and  tigers;  and  a  diamond  is  the  tallest 
quarry  of  the  lot.  It  has  beauty  and  worth;  it  alone 
can  properly  reward  the  ardors  of  the  chase.  At 
this  moment,  as  your  Highness  may  fancy,  I  am 
upon  the  trail;  I  have  a  sure  knack,  a  wide  expe- 
rience ;  I  know  every  stone  of  price  in  my  brother's 
collection  as  a  shepherd  knows  his  sheep;  and  I 
wish  I  may  die  if  I  do  not  recover  them  every 
one  !  " 

"Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur  will  have  great  cause  to 
thank  you,"  said  the  Prince. 

"I  am  not  so  sure,"  returned  the  Dictator,  with  a 
laugh.  "One  of  the  Vandeleurs  will.  Thomas  or 
John — Peter  or  Paul — we  are  all  apostles." 


i     •  NEW  ARAB1  i  V  IWGffTS, 

"I  did  not  cat«  h  your  observation,"  said  the  Prince 
with  some  disgust. 

And  at  the  same  moment  the  waiter  informed  Mr. 
Vandeleur  that  Ids  cab  w.is  at  the  door. 

Mi.  Rolles  glanced  at  the  clock,  and  saw  that  he 
also  must  be  moving;  and  the  coincidence  struck 
him  sharply  and  unpleasantly,  tor  he  desired  to  see 
no  more  of  the  diamond  hunter. 

Much  study  having  somewhat  shaken  the  young 
man's  nerves,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  traveling  in  the 
most  luxurious  manner;  and  for  the  present  journey 
1  taken  a  sofa  in  the  sleeping  carriage. 

"  You  will  be  very  comfortable,"  said  the  guard; 
"there  is  no  one  in  your  compartment,  and  only  one 
old  gentleman  in  the  other  end." 

It  was  close  upon  the  hour,  and  the  tickets  were 
being  examined,  when  Mr.  Rolles  beheld  this  other 
fellow-passenger  ushered  by  several  porters  into  his 
place;  certainly,  there  was  not  another  man  in  the 
world  whom  he  would  not  have  preferred — for  it 
Id  John   Vandeleur,  the  ex-Dictator. 

The  sleeping  carriages  on  the  Great  Northern  line 
were  divided  into  three  compartments — one  at  each 
end  for  travelers,  and  one  in  the  centre  fitted  with 
the  conveniences  of  a  lavatory.  A  door  running  in 
grooves  separated  each  of  the  others  from  the  lava- 
tory; but  as  there  were  neither  bolts  nor  locks,  the 
whole  suite  was  practically  common  ground. 

When  Mr.  Rolles  had  studied  his  position,  he  per- 
ceived himself  without  defence.  If  the  Dictator  chose 
to  pay  him  a  visit  in  the  course  of  the  night,  he 
could  do  no  less  than  receive  it;  he  had  no  means  of 
fortification,  and  lay  open  to  attack  as  if  he  had  been 
lying  in  the  fields.  This  situation  caused  him  some 
agony  of  mind.  He  recalled  with  alarm  the  boastful 
statements  of  his  fellow-traveler  across  the  dining- 
table,  and  the  professions  of  immorality  which  he  had 
I  him  offering  to  the  disgusted  Prince.  Some 
persons,  he    remembered    to  have    read,  are    endowed 


THE  RA  J  A  H '  S  DIA  MO  YD.  1 2  7 

with  a  singular  quickness  of  perception  for  the  neigh- 
borhood of  precious  metals;  through  walls  and  even 
at  considerable  distances  they  are  said  to  divine  the 
presence  of  gold.  Might  it  not  be  the  same  with 
diamonds  ?  he  wondered;  and  if  so,  who  was  more 
likely  to  enjoy  this  transcendental  sense  than  the  per- 
son who  gloried  in  the  appellation  of  the  Diamond 
Hunter  ?  From  such  a  man  he  recognized  that  he 
had  everything  to  fear,  and  longed  eagerly  for  the  arri- 
val of  the  day. 

In  the  meantime  he  neglected  no  precaution,  con- 
cealed his  diamond  in  the  most  internal  pocket  of  a 
system  of  great  coats,  and  devoutly  recommended 
himself  to  the  care  of  Providence. 

The  train  pursued  its  usual  even  and  rapid  course; 
and  nearly  half  the  journey  had  been  accomplished 
before  slumber  began  to  triumph  over  uneasiness  in 
the  breast  of  Mr.  Rolles.  For  some  time  he  resisted 
its  influence;  but  it  grew  upon  him  more  and  more, 
and  a  little  before  York  he  was  fain  to  stretch  him- 
self upon  one  of  the  couches  and  suffer  his  eyes  to 
close;  and  almost  at  the  same  instant  consciousness 
deserted  the  young  clergyman.  His  last  thought  was 
of  his  terrifying  neighbor. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  still  pitch  dark,  except  for  the 
flicker  of  the  veiled  lamp  ;  and  the  continual  roaring 
and  oscillation  testified  to  the  unrelaxed  velocity  of  the 
train.  He  sat  upright  in  a  panic,  for  he  had  been  tor- 
mented by  the  most  uneasy  dreams  ;  it  was  some 
seconds  before  he  recovered  his  self-command  ;  and 
even  after  he  had  resumed  a  recumbent  attitude  sleep 
continued  to  flee  him,  and  he  lay  awake  with  his  brain 
in  a  state  of  violent  agitation,  and  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  lavatory  door.  He  pulled  his  clerical  felt  hat  over 
his  brow  still  farther  to  shield  him  from  the  light ;  and 
he  adopted  the  usual  expedients,  such  as  counting  a 
thousand  or  banishing  thought,  by  which  experienced 
invalids  are  accustomed  to  woo  the  approach  of  sleep. 
In   the  case  of  Mr.   Rolles   they  proved  one  and  all 


i-S  V  AK.ilU. IX  NIGHTS. 

vain  ;  he  was  harassed  by  a  dozen  different  anxieties — • 

the  old  man  in  the  other  end  of  the  carriage  haunted 
him  in  the  most  alarming  shapes;  and  in  whatever  atti- 
tude he  chose  to  lie  the  diamond  in  his  pocket  occa- 
sioned him  a  sensible  physical  distress.  It  burned,  it 
.  it  bruised  his  ribs ;  and  there  were  infini- 
second  in  which  he  had  half  a 
mind  to  throw  it  from  the  window. 

While  he   was   thus   lying,  a  strange   incident  took 

: 

The  sliding-door  into  the  lavatory  stirred  a  little, 
and  then  a  little  more,  and  was  finally  drawn  back  for 
the  space  of  about  twenty  inches.  The  lamp  in  the 
lavatory  was  unshaded,  and  in  the  lighted  aperture 
thus  disclosed,  Mr.  Rolles  could  see  the  head  of  .Mr. 
Yandeleur  in  an  attitude  of  deep  attention.  He  was 
conscious  that  the  gaze  of  the  Dictator  rested  intently 
on  his  own  face  ;  and  the  instinct  of  self-preservation 
moved  him  to  hold  his  breath,  to  refrain  from  the  least 
movement,  and  keeping  his  eyes  lowered,  to  watch  his 
visitor  from  underneath  the  lashes.  After  about  a 
moment,  the  head  was  withdrawn  and  the  door  of  the 
lavatory  replai 

The  Dictator  had  not  come  to  attack,  but  to  observe; 
his  action  was  not  that  of  a  man  threatening  another, 
but  that  of  a  man  who  was  himself  threatened;  if  Mr. 
Rolles  was  afraid  of  him,  it  appeared  that  he,  in  his 
turn,  was  not  quite  easy  on  the  score  of  Mr.  Rolles.  He 
had  come,  it  would  seem,  to  make  sure  that  his  only 
fellow-traveler  was  asleep  ;  and,  when  satisfied  on  that 
point,  he  had  at  once  withdrawn. 

The  clergyman  leaped  to  his  feet  The  extreme  of 
terror  had  given  {dace  to  a  reaction  of  foolhardy  daring. 
He  reflected  that  the  rattle  of  the  Hying  train  concealed 
all  other  sounds,  and  determined,  come  what  might,  to 
return  the  visit  he  had  just  received.  Divesting  him- 
self of  his  cloak,  which  might  have  interfered  with  the 
lom  of  his  action,  he  entered  the  lavatory  and 
paused  to  listen.     As  he  had  expected,  there  was  noth- 


THE  RAJ  A  IPS  DIAMOND.  1 29 

ing  to  be  heard  above  the  roar  of  the  train's  progress  ; 
and  laying  his  hand  on  the  door  at  the  farther  side,  he 
proceeded  cautiously  to  draw  it  back  for  about  six 
inches.  Then  he  stopped,  and  could  not  contain  an 
ejaculation  of  surprise. 

John  Vandeleur  wore  a  fur  traveling  cap  with  lap- 
pets to  protect  his  ears  ;  and  this  may  have  combined 
with  the  sound  of  the  express  to  keep  him  in  ignorance 
of  what  was  going  forward.  It  is  certain,  at  least, 
that  he  did  not  raise  his  head,  but  continued  without 
interruption  to  pursue  his  strange  employment.  Between 
his  feet  stood  an  open  hat-box;  in  one  hand  he  held  the 
sleeve  of  his  sealskin  greatcoat;  in  the  other  a  formid- 
able knife,  with  which  he  had  just  slit  up  the  lining 
of  the  sleeve.  Mr.  Rolles  had  read  of  persons  carry- 
ing money  in  a  belt  ;  and  as  he  had  no  acquaintance 
with  any  but  cricket-belts,  he  had  never  been  able 
rightly  to  conceive  how  this  was  managed.  But  here 
was  a  stranger  thing  before  his  eyes  ;  for  John  Vande- 
leur, it  appeared,  carried  diamonds  in  the  lining  of  his 
sleeve;  and  even  as  the  young  clergyman  gazed,  he 
could  see  one  glittering  brilliant  drop  after  another  into 
the  hat-box. 

He  stood  riveted  to  the  spot,  following  this  unusual 
business  with  his  eyes.  The  diamonds  were,  for  the 
most  part,  small,  and  not  easily  distinguishable  either 
in'  shape  or  fire.  Suddenly  the  Dictator  appeared  to 
find  a  difficulty;  he  employed  both  hands  and  stooped 
over  his  task  ;  but  it  was  not  until  after  considerable 
manoeuvring  that  he  extricated  a  large  tiara  of  dia- 
monds from  the  lining,  and  held  it  up  for  some  seconds' 
examination  before  he  placed  it  with  the  others  in  the 
hat-box.  The  tiara  was  a  ray  of  light  to  Mr.  Rolles  ; 
he  immediately  recognized  it  for  a  part  of  the  treasure 
stolen  from  Harry  Hartley  by  the  loiterer.  There  was 
no  room  for  mistake  ;  it  was  exactly  as  the  detective 
had  described  it  ;  there  were  the  ruby  stars,  with  a 
great  emerald  in  the  centre;  there  were  the  interlacing 
crescents  ;  and  there  were  the  pear-shaped   pendants, 


13°  ■•'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

each  .1  single  stone,  which  gave  a  spe<  i.il  value  to  Lady 
Vandeleur's  tiara. 

Mr.  Rolles  was  hugely  relieved.     The  Dictator  was 

•.■p!v  in  the  affair  ;h  he  was;  neither  could  tell 
upon  the  other.     In   the  fust  glow  of  happii 
the   '  red  a  deep  sigh   to  es<  ape  him; 

.  -  his  bosom  had  b  i  boked  and  his  throat 

dry  during  his  previous  suspense,  the  sigh  was  followed) 
by 

Mr.  Vandeleur  looked  up;  his  face  contracted  with 
the  blackest  and  most  deadly  passion;  his  eyes  opened 
widely,  and  his  under  jaw  dropped  in  an  astonishment 
that  was  upon  the  brink  of  fury.  By  an  instinctive 
movement  he  had  covered  the  hatd>ox  with  the  coat. 
For  half  a  minute  the  two  men  stared  upon  each  other 
in  silence.  It  was  not  a  long  interval,  but  it  sufficed 
for  Mr.  Rolles;  he  was  one  of  those  who  think  swiftly 
on  dangerous  occasions;  he  decided  on  a  course  of 
action  of  a  singularly  daring  nature;  and  although  he- 
felt  he  was  setting  his  life  upon  the  hazard,  he  was  the 
fir>t  to  break  silo. 

"  1  :    _  your  pardon,"  said  he. 

The  Dictator  shivered  slightly,  and  when  he  spoke 
his  voice  was  hoar 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?"  he  asked. 

"  I  take  a  particular  interest  in  diamonds,"  replied 
Mr.  [Holies,  with  an  air  of  perfect  self-possession. 
"  Two  connoisseurs  sTiould  be  acquainted.  I  have  here 
a  trifle  of  my  own  which  may  perhaps  serve  for  an 
introduction." 

And  so  saying,  he  quietly  took  the  case  from  his 
|  . et,  showed  the  Rajah's  Diamond  to  the  Dictator 
for  an  instant,  and  replaced  it  in  security. 

"  It  was  once  your  brother's,"  he  added. 

'John  Vandeleur  continued  to  regard  him  with  a  look 
of  -almost  painful  amazement;  but  he  neither  spoke 
nor  moved. 

"  I  was  pleased  to  observe,"  resumed  the  young  man, 
"that  we  have  gems  from  the  same  collection." 


THE  RAJ AWS  DIAMOND.  131 

The  Dictator's  surprise  overpowered  him. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said;  "  I  begin  to  perceive 
that  I  am  growing  old  !  I  am  positively  not  prepared 
for  little  incidents  like  this.  But  set  my  mind  at  rest 
upon  one  point:  do  my  eyes  deceive  me,  or  are  you 
indeed  a  parson  ?  " 

"  I  am  in  holy  orders,"  answered  Mr.  Rolles. 

"  Well,"  cried  the  other,  "  as  long  as  I  live  I  will 
never  hear  another  word  against  the  cloth  !  " 

"  You  flatter  me,"  said  Mr.  Rolles. 

"  Pardon  me,"  replied  Vandeleur;  "  pardon  me, 
young  man.  You  are  no  coward,  but  it  still  remains 
to  be  seen  whether  you  are  not  the  worst  of  fools. 
Perhaps,"  he  continued,  leaning  back  upon  his  seat, 
"  perhaps  you  would  oblige  me  with  a  few  particulars. 
I  must  suppose  you  had  some  object  in  the  stupefying 
impudence  of  your  proceedings,  and  I  confess  I  have 
a  curiosity  to  know  it." 

"  It  is  very  simple,"  replied  the  clergyman;  "  it  pro- 
ceeds from  my  great  inexperience  of  life." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  persuaded,"  answered  Van- 
deleur. 

Whereupon  Mr.  Rolles  told  him  the  whole  story  of 
his  connection  with  the  Rajah's  Diamond,  from  the 
time  he  found  it  in  Raeburn's  garden  to  the  time  when 
he  left  London  in  the  Flying  Scotchman.  He  added 
a  brief  sketch  of  his  feelings  and  thoughts  during  the 
journey,  and  concluded  in  these  words: — 

"  When  I  recognized  the  tiara  I  knew  we  were  in 
the  same  attitude  towards  Society,  and  this  inspired 
me  with  a  hope,  which  I  trust  you  will  say  was  not  ill- 
founded,  that  you  might  become  in  some  sense  my 
partner  in  the  difficulties  and,  of  course,  the  profits  of 
my  situation.  To  one  of  your  special  knowledge  and 
obviously  great  experience  the  negotiation  of  the  dia- 
mond would  give  but  little  trouble,  while  to  me  it  was 
a  matter  of  impossibility.  On  the  other  part,  I  judged 
that  I  might  lose  nearly  as  much  by  cutting  the  dia- 
mond, and  that  not  improbably  with  an  unskilful  hand, 


i.;:  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

ns  might  enable  me  to  pay  you  with  proper  generoi  ity 

our  assistance.     The  subject  was  a  delicate  one 

roach;  and  perhaps  I  fell  short  in  delicacy.     But 

1  must  ask  you  to  remember  that  for  me  the  situation 

a  new  one,  and  1   was  entirely  unacquainted  with 

the  etiquette  in   use.     1  believe  without  vanity  that  I 

could  have  married  or  baptized  j  ou  in  a  very  a<  i  epta- 

ble  manner;   but  every  man  has  his  own  aptitudes,  and 

this   sort  m  was  not  among  the  list  of  my 

mplishments." 

"I  do  not  wish  to  flatter  you,"  replied  Vandeleur; 

"but  upon  my  word,  you  have  an   unusual  disposition 

for  a  life  of  crime.     You  have  more  accomplishments 

than  you  imagine;   and    though  1  have   encountered  a 

number  of  rogues  in  different  quarters  of  the  world,  f 

never  met  with  one  so  unblushing  as  yourself.     Cheer 

up,  Mr.  Rolles,  you  are  in  the  right  profession  at  last ! 

A^  for  helping  you,  you  may  command  me  as  you  will. 

I   have  only  a  day's  business  in  Edinburgh  on  a  little 

matter  for  my  brother;  and  once  that  is  concluded,  I 

return  to  Paris,  where  1  usually  reside.     If  you  please, 

may  accompany  me  thither.     And  before  the  end 

of  a  month   I    believe   I   shall  have  brought  your  little 

business  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion." 

{At  this  point,  contrary  to  all  the  canons  of  his  art,  our 
Arabian  Author  breaks  off  the  Story  of  the  Yoi  NG 
Man  in  Holy  Orders.  /  regret  and  condemn  such 
practices ;  but  I  must  follow  my  original,  and  refer  the 
reader  for  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Rolles's  adventures  to 
the  next  number  of  the  cycle,  the  Story  of  the  House 
with  the  Green  Blin]     i 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  HOUSE  WITH  THE 
GREEN  BLINDS. 


Francis  Scrymgeour,  a  clerk  in  the  Bank  of  Scot- 
land at  Edinburgh,  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five 
in  a  sphere  of  quiet,  creditable,  and  domestic  life. 
His  mother  died  while  he  was  young;  but  his  father,  a 
man  of  sense  and  probity,  had  given  him  an  excellent 
education  at  school,  and  brought  him  up  at  home  to 
orderly  and  frugal  habits.  Francis,  who  was  of  a 
docile  and  affectionate  disposition,  profited  by  these 
advantages  with  zeal,  and  devoted  himself  heart  and 
soul  to  his  employment.  A  walk  upon  Saturday  after- 
noon, an  occasional  dinner  with  members  of  his  family, 
and  a  yearly  tour  of  a  fortnight  in  the  Highlands  or 
even  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  were  his  principal 
distractions,  and  he  grew  rapidly  in  favor  with  his 
superiors,  and  enjoyed  already  a  salary  of  nearly  two 
hundreds  pounds  a  year,  with  the  prospect  of  an  ulti- 
mate advance  to  almost  double  that  amount.  Few 
young  men  were  more  contented,  few  more  willing  and 
laborious  than  Francis  Scrymgeour.  Sometimes  at 
night,  when  he  had  read  the  daily  paper,  he  would  play 
upon  the  flute  to  amuse  his  father,  for  whose  qualities 
he  entertained  a  great  respect. 

One  day  he  received  a  note  from  a  well-known  firm 
of  Writers  to  the  Signet,  requesting  the  favor  of  an 
immediate  interview  with  him.  The  latter  was  marked 
"  Private  and  Confidential,"  and  had  been  addressed 
to  him  at  the  bank,  instead  of  at  home — two  unusual 
circumstances  which  made  him  obey  the  summons  with 
the  more  alacrity.  The  senior  member  of  the  firm,  a 
man  of  much  austerity  of  manner,  made  him  gravely 
welcome,  requested  him  to  take  a  seat,  and  proceeded 
133 


i/>4  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

to  explain  the  matter  in  hand  in  the  picked  expressions 
of  a  veteran  man  of  business.  A  person,  who  must 
remain  nameless,  but  of  whom  the  lawyer  had  i 

•  n  to  think  well — a  man,  in  short,  ot  some  station 
in  the  country — desired  to  make  Fran<  is  an  annual 
allowance  of  five  hundred  pounds.  The  capital  was  to 
be  placed  under  the  control  o(  the  lawyer's  firm  and 
two  trustees  who  must  also  remain  anonymous.  There 
were  conditions  annexed  to  this  liberality,  but- he  was 
of  opinion  that  his  new  client  would  find  nothing  either 
excessive  or  dishonorable  in  the  terms;  and  he  repi  li  d 
these  two  words  with  emphasis,  as  though  he  desired  to 
commit  himself  to  nothing  more. 

Francis  asked  their  nature. 

"  The  conditions,"  said  the  Writer  to  the  Signet, 
"are,  as  I  have  twice  remarked,  neither  dishonorable 
nor  excessive.  At  the  same  time  I  cannot  conceal  from 
you  that  they  are  most  unusual.  Indeed,  the  whole 
case  is  very  much  out  of  our  way;  and  I  should  cer- 
tainly have  refused  it  had  it  not  been  for  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  gentleman  who  entrusted  it  to  my  care,  and, 
kt  me  add,  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  the  interest  I  have  been 
led  to  take  in  yourself  by  many  complimentary  and,  I 
have  no  doubt,  well-deserved  reports." 

Francis  entreated  him  to  be  more  specific. 

"  You  connot  picture  my  uneasiness  as  to  these  con- 
ditions," he  said. 

"  They  are  two,"  replied  the  lawyer  "only  two;  and 
the  sum,  as  you  will  remember,  is  five  hundred  a  year 
— and  unburthened,  I  forgot  to  add,  unburdened." 

And    the    lawyer    raised   his  eyebrows   at    him    with 
[ 

"  'J  he  first,"  he  resumed,  "  is  of  remarkable  simpli- 
city. You  must  be  in  Paris  by  the  afternoon  of  Sun- 
day, the  15th;  there  you  v/ill  find,  at  the  box-office  of 
the  Comedie  Francaise,  a  ticket  for  admission  taken  in 
your  name  and  waiting  you.  You  are  requested  to  sit 
out  the  whole  performance  in  the  seat  provided,  and 
that  is  all." 


THE  RAJ AIFS  DIAMOND.  135 

"  I  should  certainly  have  preferred  a  week-day, 
replied  Francis.     "  But,  after  all,  once  in  a  way " 

"And  in  Paris,  my  dear  sir,"  added  the  lawyer, 
soothingly.  "  I  believe  I  am  something  of  a  precisian 
myself,  but  upon  such  a  consideration,  and  in  Paris, 
I  should  not  hesitate  an  instant." 

And  the  pair  laughed  pleasantly  together. 

"  The  other  is  of  more  importance,"  continued  the 
Writer  to  the  Signet.  "It  regards  your  marriage.  My 
client,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  your  welfare,  desires 
to  advise  you  absolutely  in  the  choice  of  a  wite. 
Absolutely,  you  understand,"  he  repeated. 

"  Let  us  be  more  explicit,  if  you  please,"  returned 
Francis.  "  Am  I  to  marry  anyone,  maid  or  widow, 
black  or  white,  whom  this  invisible  person  chooses  to 
propose  ?" 

"  I  was  to  assure  you  that  suitability  of  age  and 
position  should  be  a  principle  with  your  benefactor," 
replied  the  lawyer.  "As  to  race,  I  confess  the  diffi- 
culty had  not  occurred  to  me,  and  I  failed  to  inquire; 
but  if  you  like  I  will  make  a  note  of  it  at  once,  and 
advise  you  on  the  earliest  opportunity." 

"  Sir,"  said  Francis,  "  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether 
this  whole  affair  is  not  a  most  unworthy  fraud.  The 
circumstances  are  inexplicable — I  had  almost  said 
incredible;  and  until  I  see  a  little  more  daylight,  and 
some  plausible  motive,  I  confess  I  should  be  very  sorry 
to  put  a  hand  to  the  transaction.  I  appeal  to  you  in 
this  difficulty  for  information.  I  must  learn  what  is  at 
the  bottom  of  it  all.  If  you  do  not  know,  cannot 
guess,  or  are  not  at  liberty  to  tell  me,  I  shall,  lake  my 
hat  and  go  back  to  my  bank  as  I  came." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  answered  the  lawyer,  "  but  I  have 
an  excellent  guess.  Your  father,  and  no  one  else,  is 
at  the  root  of  this  apparently  unnatural  business." 

"My  father!"  cried  Francis,  in  extreme  disdain. 
"  Worthy  man,  I  know  every  thought  of  his  mind, 
every  penny  of  his  fortune  !  " 

'You  misinterpret  my  words,"  said  the  lawyer.     "I 


//'.v. 

do  not  refer  to  Mr.  Scrymgeour,        i  r;  for  he  is  not 
your  father.     When  he  ■  ife  came  to  Edinburgh, 

already  nearly  on  ;.  and  you  had  not 

•  an  e  months  in  I  The  se<  ret  has 

been  well  kept;  but  such  is  the  fai  t.     Your  father  is 
unknown,  and  I  say  again  that  I  believe  him  to  be  the 
il  of  the  offers  1  am  charged  at  present  to  trans- 
mit to  you." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  astonish- 
ment of  Francis  Scrymgeour  at  this  unexpected  infor- 
mation.    He  pleaded  this  confusion  to  the  lawyer. 

"  Mr,"  said  he,  "after  a  piece  of  news  so  startling, 
you  must  grant  me  some  hours  for  thought.  You  shall 
know  this  evening  what  conclusion  I  have  reached." 

The  lawyer  commended  his  prudence;  and  Francis, 
excusing  himself  upon  some  pretext  at  the  bank,  took 
a  long  walk  into  the  country,  and  fully  considered  the 
different   steps   and    aspects   of   the   case.      A  pleasant 

•  of  his  own  importance  rendered  him  the  I 
deliberate;  but  the  issue  was  from  the  first  not  doubt- 
ful. His  whole  carnal  man  leaned  irresistibly  towards 
the  five  hundred  a  year,  and  the  strange  conditions 
with  which  it  was  burdened;  he  discovered  in  his  heart 
an  invincible  repugnance  to  the  name  of  Scrymgeour, 
which  he  had  never  hitherto  disliked;  he  began  to 
the  narrow  and  unromantic  interest  of  his 
former  life;  and  when  once  his  mind  was  fairly  made 
up,  hewalked  with  anew  feeling  of  strength  and  freedom, 
and   nourished   himself   with    the   gayest  anticipal 

He  said  but  a  word  to  the  lawyer,  and  immediately 
received  a  check  for  two  quarters'  arrears;  fo 
allowance  was  ante-dated  from  the  first  of  January. 
With  this  in  his  pocket,  he  walked  home.  The  Hal  in 
mean  in  his  eyes  ;  his  nostrils. 
for  the  first  lime,  rebelled  against  the  odor  of  broth: 
and  he  observed  little  defects  of  manner  in  his  adop- 
tive father  which  filled  him  with  surprise  and  almost 
with  disgust.  The  next  day,  he  determined,  should 
im  on  his  w  iv  to  Paris. 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  137 

In  that  city,  where  he  arrived  long  before  the 
appointed  date,  he  put  up  at  a  modest  hotel  frequented 
by  English  and  Italians,  and  devoted  himself  to 
improvement  in  the  French  tongue;  for  this  purpose 
he  had  a  master  twice  a  week,  entered  into  conversa- 
tion with  loiterers  in  the  Champs  Elysees,  and  nightly 
frequented  the  theatre.  He  had  his  whole  toilette 
fashionably  renewed;  and  was  shaved  and  had  his  hair 
dressed  every  morning  by  a  barber  in  a  neighboring 
street.  This  gave  him  something  of  a  foreign  air,  and 
seemed  to  wipe  off  the  reproach  of  his  past  years. 

At  length,  on  the  Saturday  afternoon,  he  betook 
himself  to  the  box-office  of  the  theatre  in  the  Rue 
Richelieu.  No  sooner  had  he  mentioned  his  name 
than  the  clerk  produced  the  order  in  an  envelope  of 
which  the  address  was  scarcely  dry. 

"  It  has  been  taken  this  moment,"  said  the  clerk. 

"Indeed!"  said  Francis.  "May  I  ask  what  the 
gentleman  was  like  ?" 

"  Your  friend  is  easy  to  describe,"  replied  the 
official.  "  He  is  old  and  strong  and  beautiful,  with 
white  hair  and  a  sabre-cut  across  his  face.  You  can- 
not fail  to  recognize  so  marked  a  person." 

"  No,  indeed,"  returned  Francis  ;  "and  I  thank  you 
for  your  politeness." 

"  He  cannot  yet  be  far  distant,"  added  the  clerk. 
"If  you  make  haste  you  might  still  overtake  him." 

Francis  did  not  wait  to  be  twice  told  ;  he  ran  pre- 
cipitately from  the  theatre  into  the  middle  of  the  street 
and  looked  in  all  directions.  More  than  one  white- 
haired  man  was  within  sight  ;  but  though  he  overtook 
each  of  them  in  succession,  all  wanted  the  sabre-cut. 
For  nearly  half-an-hour  he  tried  one  street  after 
another  in  the  neighborhood,  until  at  length,  recogniz- 
ing the  folly  of  continued  search,  he  started  on  a  walk 
to  compose  his  agitated  feelings  ;  for  this  proximity  of 
an  encounter  with  him  to  whom  he  could  not  doubt 
he  owed  the  day  had  profoundly  moved  the  young 
man. 


138  •"  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

It  chanced  that  his  way  lay  up  the  Rue  Drouot  and 
thence  up  the  Rue  des  Martyrs;  and  chance,  in  this 
.  served  him  bettei  than  all  the  forethought  in  the 
world.  For  on  the  outer  boulevard  he  saw  two  men 
i:i  earnest  colloquy  upon  a  seat.  Onewasdark,  young, 
and  handsome,  secularly  dressed,  but  with  an  indelible 
il  stamp  ;  the  other  answered  in  every  particular 
to  the  description  given  him  by  the  clerk.  Francis 
felt  his  heart  heat  high  in  Ids  bosom  ;  he  knew  he  was 
now  about  to  hear  the  voice  of  his  father  ;  and  making 
a  wide  circuit,  he  noiselessly  took  Ids  place  behind  the 
couple  in  question,  who  were  too  much  interested  in 
their  talk  to  observe  much  else.  As  Francis  had 
expected,  the  conversation  was  conducted  in  the  Eng- 
lish langu; 

"Your  suspicions  begin  to  annoy  me,  Rolles,"  said 
the  older  man.  "  I  tell  you  I  am  doing  my  utmost  ; 
a  man  cannot  lay  his  hand  on  millions  in  a  moment. 
Have  I  not  taken  you  up,  a  mere  stranger,  out  of 
pure  good  will?  Are  you  not  living  largely  on  my 
bounty  ?" 

"On  your  advances,  Mr.  Vandeleur,"  corrected  the 
other. 

"Advances,  if  you  choose;  and  interest  instead  of 
good-will,  if  you  prefer  it,"  returned  Vandeleur,  angrily. 

I  im  not  here  to  pick  expressions.  Business  is  busi- 
ness ;  and  your  business,  let  me  remind  you,  is  too 
muddy  for  such  airs.  Trust  me,  or  leave  me  alone  and 
find  someone  else  ;  but  let  us  have  an  end,  for  God's 
sake,  of  your  jeremiads." 

"  1  am  beginning  to  learn  the  world,"  replied  the 
other,  "  and  I  see  that  you  have  every  reason  to  play 
me  false,  and  not  one  to  deal  honestly.  I  am  not  here 
to  pick  expressions  either  ;  you  wish  the  diamond  for 
yourself  :  you  know  you  do — you  dare  not  deny  it. 
Have  you  not  already  forged  my  name,  and  searched 
my  i'  i   my  absence?     I   understand  the  cause 

of  your  delays  ;  you  are  lying  in  wait  ;  you  are  the 
diamonddumter,  forsooth  ;  and  sooner  or  later,  by  fair 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  139 

means  or  foul,  you'll  lay  your  hands  upon  it.  I  tell 
you,  it  must  stop  ;  push  me  much  further  and  I  promise 
you  a  surprise." 

"  It  does  not  become  you  to  use  threats,"  returned 
Vandeleur.  "  Two  can  play  at  that.  My  brother  is 
here  in  Paris  ;  the  police  are  on  the  alert  ;  and  if  you 
persist  in  wearying  me  with  your  caterwauling,  I  will 
arrange  a  little  astonishment  for  you,  Mr.  Rolles.  But 
mine  shall  be  once  and  for  all.  Do  you  understand,  or 
would  you  prefer  me  to  tell  it 'you  in  Hebrew  ?  There 
is  an  end  to  all  things,  and  you  have  come  to  the  end 
of  my  patience.  Tuesday,  at  seven  ;  not  a  day,  not 
an  hour  sooner,  not  the  least  part  of  a  second,  if  it 
were  to  save  your  life.  And  if  you  do  not  choose  to 
wait,  you  may  go  to  the  bottomless  pit  for  me,  and  wel- 
come." 

And  so  saying,  the  Dictator  arose  from  the  bench, 
and  marched  off  in  the  direction  of  Montmartre,  shak- 
ing his  head  and  swinging  his  cane  with  a  most  furious 
air  ;  while  his  companion  remained  where  he  was,  in. 
an  attitude  of  great  dejection. 

Francis  was  at  the  pitch  of  surprise  and  horror  ;  his 
sentiments  had  been  shocked  to  the  last  degree  ;  the 
hopeful  tenderness  with  which  he  had  taken  his  place 
upon  the  bench  was  transformed  into  repulsion  and 
despair  ;  old  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  he  reflected,  was  a  far 
more  kindly  and  creditable  parent  than  this  dangerous 
and  violent  intriguer  ;  but  he  retained  his  presence  of 
mind,  and  suffered  not  a  moment  to  elapse  before  he 
was  on  the  trail  of  the  Dictator. 

That  gentleman's  fury  carried  him  forward  at  a  brisk 
pace,  and  he  was  so  completely  occupied  in  his  angry 
thoughts  that  he  never  so  much  as  cast  a  look  behind 
him  till  he  reached  his  own  door. 

His  house  stood  high  up  in  the  Rue  Lepic,  command- 
ing a  view  of  all  Paris  and  enjoying  the  pure  air  of  the 
heights.  It  was  two  stories  high,  with  green  blinds  and 
shutters  ;  and  all  the  windows  looking  on  the  street 
were  hermetically  closed.  Tops  of  trees  showed  over  the 


i  .jo  W  ARABIAN  NIC! 

garden    wall,    and  the  wall    was  prote<  ted    by 
The  1  dictator  paused  a  moment  while 
he  searched  his  po<  k t-t  for  a  key  ;  and  then,  opening 
a  gate,  disappeared  within  the  enclosure. 

Francis  looked  about   him;  the  neighborhood  was 

the    house    isolated    in    its   garden.      It 
seemed    as    it'   his    observation    must    here  rome    to   an 

abrupt  end.     A  second  glance,  however,  showed  him  a 

tall  house  next  door  presenting  a  gable  to  the  garden, 
and  in  this  gable  a  single  window.  lie  passed  to  the 
front  and  saw  a  ticket  offering  unfurnished  lodgings 
by  the  month  ;  and,  on  inquiry,  the  room  which  com- 
manded the  Dictator's  garden  proved  to  be  one  of 
those  to  let.  Francis  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  ;  he 
took  the  room,  paid  an  advance  upon  the  rent,  and 
returned  to  his  hotel  to  seek  his  bagg 

The  old  man  with  the  sabre-cut  might  or  might  not 
be  his  father  ;  he  might  or  he  might  not  lie  on  the 
true  scent  ;  but  he  was  certainly  on  the  edge  of  an 
>  ',n^  mystery,  and  he  promised  himself  that  he 
v  i  relax  his  observation  until  he  had  got  to  the 

bottom  of  the  sec  ret. 

From  the  window  of  his  new  apartment  Francis 
Si  rymgeour  commanded  a  complete  view  into  the  gar- 
den of  the  house  with  the  green  blinds.  Immediately 
below  him  a  very  comely  chestnut  with  wide  boughs 
sheltered  a  pair  of  rustic  tables  where  people  might 
dine  in  the  height  of  summer.  On  all  sides  save  one 
a  dense  vegetation  concealed  the  soil  :  but  there, 
between  the  tables  and  the  house,  he  saw  a  patch  of 
gravel  walk  leading  from  the  veranda  to  the  garden- 
gate.  Studying  the  places  from  between  the  boards 
of  the  Venetian  shutter,  which  he  durst  not  open  for 
fear  of  attracting  attention,  Francis  observed  but  little 
to  indicate  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants,  and  that 
little  argued  no  more  than  a  close  reserve  and  a  taste 
for  solitude.  The  garden  was  conventual,  the  house 
had  the  air  of  a  prison.  The  green  blinds  were  all 
drawn  down  upon  the  outside  ;  the  door  into  the  ver- 


THE  RA  J  A II '  S  DIA  MOND.  1 4  1 

anda  was  closed  ;  the  garden,  as  far  as  he  could  see  it, 
was  left  entirely  to  itself  in  the  evening  sunshine.  A 
modest  curl  of  smoke  from  a  single  chimney  alone  tes- 
tified to  the  presence  of  living  people. 

In  order  that  he  might  not  be  entirely  idle,  and  to 
give  a  certain  color  to  his  way  of  life,  Francis  had  pur- 
chased Euclid's  Geometry  in  French,  which  he  set 
himself  to  copy  and  translate  on  the  top  of  his  port- 
manteau and.  seated  on  the  floor  against  the  wall ;  for 
he  was  equally  without  chair  or  table.  From  time  to 
time  he  would  rise  and  cast  a  glance  into  the  enclosure 
of  the  house  with  the  green  blinds  ;  but  the  windows 
remained  obstinately  closed  and  the  garden  empty. 

Only  late  in  the  evening  did  anything  occur  to 
reward  his  continued  attention.  Between  nine  and 
ten  the  sharp  tinkle  of  a  bell  aroused  him  from  a  fit  of 
dozing  ;  and  he  sprang  to  his  observatory  in  time  to 
hear  an  important  noise  of  locks  being  opened  and 
bars  removed,  and  to  see  Mr.  Vandeleur,  carrying  a 
lantern  and  clothed  in  a  flowing  robe  of  black  velvet 
with  a  skull-cap  to  match,  issue  from  under  the  veranda 
and  proceed  leisurely  toward  the  garden-gate.  The 
sound  of  bolts  and  bars  was  then  repeated  ;  and  a 
moment  after  Francis  perceived  the  Dictator  escorting 
into  the  house,  in  the  mobile  light  of  the  lantern,  an 
individual  of  the  lowest  and  most  despicable  appearance. 

Half-an-hour  afterward  the  visitor  was  reconducted 
to  the  street  ;  and  Mr.  Vandeleur,  setting  his  light 
upon  one  of  the  rustic  tables,  finished  a  cigar  with 
great  deliberation  under  the  foliage  of  the  chestnut. 
Francis,  peering  through  a  clear  space  among  the 
leaves,  was  able  to  follow  his  gestures  as  he  threw  away 
the  ash  or  enjoyed  a  copious  inhalation  ;  and  beheld 
a  cloud  upon  the  old  man's  brow  and  a  forcible  action 
of  the  lips,  which  testified  to  some  deep  and  probably 
painful  train  of  thought.  The  cigar  was  already 
almost  at  an  end,  when  the  voice  of  a  young  girl  was 
heard  suddenly  crying  the  hour  from  the  interior  of 
the  house. 


i  ;-•  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"  In  a  moment,"  replied  John  Vandeleur. 

And.  with  that,  he  throw  away  the  stump  and,  taking 
up  the  lantern,  sailed  away  under  the  veranda  for  the 
night.  As  soon  as  the  door  was  <  losed, absolute  dark- 
fell  upon  the  house;  Francis  might  try  his  eye- 
sight as  much  as  he  pleased,  he  could  not  detei 
much  as  a  single  chink  of  light  below  a  blind  ;  ami  he 
concluded,  with  great  good  sense,  that  the  bed  cham- 
bers were  all  upon  the  other  side. 

Early  the  next  morning  (for  he  was  early  awake aftel 
an  uncomfortable  night  upon  the  floor),  he  saw  cause 
to  adopt  a  different  explanation.  The  blinds  rose,  one 
after  another,  by  means  of  a  spring  in  the  interior,  and 
disclosed  steel  shutters  such  as  we  see  on  the  front  of 
shops  ;  these  in  their  turn  were  rolled  up  by  a  similar 
contrivance  ;  and  for  the  space  of  about  an  hour,  the 
chambers  were  left  open  to  the  morning  air.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  Mr.  Vandeleur,  with  his  own  hand, 
once  more  closed  the  shutters  and  replaced  the  blinds 
from  within. 

While  Francis  was  still  marvelling  at  these  precau- 
tions, the  door  opened  and  a  young  girl  came  forth  to 
lo.;k  about  her  in  the  garden.  It  was  not  two  minutes 
before  she  re-entered  the  house,  but  even  in  that  short 
time  he  saw  enough  to  convince  him  that  she  possessed 
the  most  unusual  attractions.  His  curiosity  was  not 
only  highly  excited  by  this  incident,  but  his  spirits 
were  improved  to  a  still  more  notable  degree.  The 
alarming  manners  and  more  than  equivocal  life  of  his 
father  ceased  from  that  moment  to  prey  upon  his 
mind  ;  from  that  moment  he  embraced  his  new  family 
with  ardor  ;  and  whether  the  young  lady  should  prove 
his  sister  or  his  wife,  he  felt  convinced  she  was  an 
angel  in  disguise.  So  much  was  this  the  case  that  he 
was  seized  with  a  sudden  horror  when  he  reflected 
how  little  he  really  knew,  and  how  possible  it  was  that 
he  followed  the  wrong  person  when  he  followed  Mr. 
Vandeleur. 

The  porter,  whom  he  consulted,  could  afford  him 


THE  RA  J AH'S  DIA MOND.  1 4 3 

little  information;  but,  such  as  it  was,  it  had  a  myste- 
rious and  questionable  sound.  The  person  next  door 
was  an  English  gentleman  of  extraordinary  wealth,  and 
proportionately  eccentric  in  his  tastes  and  habits.  He 
possessed  great  collections,  which  he  kept  in  the  house 
beside  him;  and  it  was  to  protect  these  that  he  had 
fitted  the  place  with  steel  shutters,  elaborate  fastenings 
and  chevaux-de-frise  along  the  garden  wall.  He  lived 
much  alone,  in  spite  of  some  strange  visitors  with 
whom,  it  seemed,  he  had  business  to  transact;  and 
there  was  no  one  in  the  house  except  Mademoiselle 
and  an  old  woman  servant. 

"  Is  Mademoiselle  his  daughter  ?  "  inquired  Francis. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  porter.  "  Mademoiselle  is 
the  daughter  of  the  house;  and  strange  it  is  to  see  how 
she  is  made  to  work.  For  all  his  riches,  it  is  she  who 
goes  to  market;  and  every  day  in  the  week  you  may  see 
her  going  by  with  a  basket  on  her  arm." 

"  And  the  collections  ?  "  asked  the  other. 

"Sir,"  said  the  man,  ''they  are  immensely  valuable. 
More  I  cannot  tell  you.  Since  M.  de  Vandeleur's 
arrival  no  one  in  the  quarter  has  so  much  as  passed 
the  door." 

"  Suppose  not,"  returned  Francis,  "  you  must  surely 
have  some  notion  what  these  famous  galleries  contain. 
Is  it  pictures,  silks,  statues,  jewels,  or  what  ?  " 

"  My  faith,  sir,"  said  the  fellow  with  a  shrug,  "  it 
might  be  carrots,  and  still  I  could  not  tell  you.  How 
should  I  know  ?  The  house  is  kept  like  a  garrison,  as 
you  perceive." 

And  then  as  Francis  was  returning  disappointed  to 
his  room,  the  porter  called  him  back. 

"I  have  just  remembered,  sir,"  said  he.  "  M.  de 
Vandeleur  has  been  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  I 
once  heard  the  old  woman  declare  that  he  had  brought 
many  diamonds  back  with  him.  If  that  be  the  truth, 
there  must  be  a  fine  show  behind  those  shutters." 

By  an  early  hour  on  Sunday  Francis  was  in  his  place 
at  the  theatre.     The  seat  which  had  been  taken  for 


i  I  \  Nl  ir  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

him  was  only  two  or  three  numbers  from  the  left-hand 

and  directly  opposite  one  of  the  low<  r  boxes.    A  i 

ally  (  hosen  tin  re  «  as  doubtless 

•  •     I  frori     •     i     ition;  and  he 

■.  an  instinct  that  the  box  upon  his  right  was, 

i  r  other,  to  be  connected  with  the  drama 

in  which  he  ignorantly  played  a  part.     Indeed  it  was 

tuated  that  its  occupants  could  safely  observe  him 

from  beginning  to  end  of  the  piece,  if  they  were  so 

minded;    while,  profiting  by    the    depth,  they  <<>uld 

n  themselves  sufficiently  well  from  any  counter- 

lination  on  his  side.     He  promised  himself  not  to 

leave    it    for   a   moment  out  of   sight;  and  whilst  he 

S(  anned   the  rest  of   the  theatre,  or  made  a  show  of 

attending  to  the  business  of  the  stage,  he   always  kept 

a  corner  of  an  eye  upon  the  empty  box. 

The  second  act  had  been  some  time  in  progress,  and 
was  even  drawing  towards  a  close,  when  the  door 
opened  and  two  persons  entered  and  ensconced  them- 
selves in  the  darkest  of  the  shade.  Fram  is  could 
hardly  control  his  emotion.  It  was  Mr.  Vandeleur  and 
his  daughter.  The  blood  came  and  went  in  his  arteries 
and  veins  with  stunning  activity;  his  ears  sang;  his 
head  turned.  He  dared  not  look  lest  he  should  awake 
suspicion;  his  play-bill,  which  he  kept  reading  from 
end  to  end  and  over  and  over  again,  turned  from  white 
to  red  before  his  eyes;  and  when  he  cast  a  glance  upon 
the  stage,  it  seemed  incalculably  far  away,  and  he 
found  the  voices  and  gestures  of  the  actors  to  the  lasr 
degree  impertinent  and  absurd. 

m  time  to  time  he  risked  a  momentary  look  in 
the  direction  whirl)  principally  arrested  him;  and  once 
at  least  he  felt  certain  that  his  eyes  encountered  those 
of  the  young  girl.     A  shock  over  his  body,  and 

lie  saw  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  'What  would  he 
not  have  given  to  overhear  what  passed  between  the 
Vandeleurs  ?  What  would  he  not  have  given  for  the 
courage  to  take  up  his  opera-glass  and  steadily  inspect 
their  attitude   and  expression  ?     There,  for   aught  he 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  145 

knew,  his  whole  life  was  being  decided — and  he  not 
able  to  interfere,  not  able  even  to  follow  the  debate, 
but  condemned  to  sit  and  suffer  where  he  was,  in 
impotent  anxiety. 

At  last  the  act  came  to  an  end.  The  curtain  fell, 
and  the  people  around  him  began  to  leave  their  places 
for  the  interval.  It  was  only  natural  that  he  should 
follow  their  example  ;  and  if  he  did  so,  it  was  not  only 
natural  but  necessary  that  he  should  pass  immediately 
in  front  of  the  box  in  question.  Summoning  all  his 
courage,  but  keeping  his  eyes  lowered,  Francis  drew 
near  the  spot.  His  progress  was  slow,  for  the  old  gen- 
tleman before  him  moved  with  incredible  deliberation, 
wheezing  as  he  went.  What  was  he  to  do  ?  Should  he 
address  the  Vandeleurs  by  name  as  he  went  by  ? 
Should  he  take  the  flower  from  his  button-hole  and 
throw  it  into  the  box?  Should  he  raise  his  face  and 
direct  one  long  and  affectionate  look  upon  the  lady  who 
was  either  his  sister  or  his  betrothed  ?  As  he  found 
himself  thus  struggling  among  so  many  alternatives,  he 
had  a  vision  of  his  old  equable  existence  in  the  bank, 
and  was  assailed  by  a  thought  of  regret  for  the  past. 

By  this  time  he  had  arrived  directly  opposite  the 
box  ;  and  although  he  was  still  undetermined  what  to 
do  or  whether  to  do  anything,  he  turned  his  head  and 
lifted  his  eyes.  No  sooner  had  he  done  so  than  he 
uttered  a  cry  of  disappointment  and  remained  rooted 
to  the  spot.  The  box  was  empty.  During  his  slow 
advance  Mr.  Vandeleur  and  his  daughter  had  quietly 
slipped  away. 

A  polite  person  in  his  rear  reminded  him  that  he  was 
stopping  the  path  ;  and  he  moved  on  again  with 
mechanical  footsteps,  and  suffered  the  crowd  to  carry 
him  unresisting  out  of  the  theatre.  Once  in  the  street, 
the  pressure  ceasing,  he  came  to  a  halt,  and  the  cool 
night  air  speedily  restored  him  to  the  possession  of  his 
faculties.  He  was  surprised  to  find  that  his  head 
ached  violently,  and  that  he  remembered  not  one  word 
of  the  two  acts  which  he  had  witnessed.     As  the  excite- 


146  A7  //'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

ment  wore  away,  it  was  succeeded  by  an  overweening 
appetite  for  sleep,  and  he  hailed  a  cab  ami  dune  to 
his  lodgit  ite  of  extreme  exhaustion   and   some 

-•     :  life. 

\t  morning  he  lay  in  wait  for  Miss  Vandeleux  on 
her  road  to  market,  and  by  eight  o'clock  beheld  her 
Stepping  down   a   lane.      She     was     simply,   and    even 

ly,  attired;  but  in  the  carriage  of  her  h 
body  there  was  something  flexible  and  noble  that  would 
have  lent  distinction  to  the  meanest  toilette.  Even 
her  basket,  so  aptly  did  she  carry  it,  became  her  like 
an  ornament.  It  seemed  to  Francis,  as  he  slipped  into 
a  doorway,  that  the  sunshine  followed  and  the  shadows 
tied  before  her  as  she  walked  ;  and  he  was  conscious, 
for  the  first  time,  of  a  bird  singing  in  a  cage  above  the 
lane. 

He  suffered  her  to  pass  the  doorway,  and  then, 
coming  forth  once  more,  addressed  her  by  name  from 
behind. 

"  Miss  Vandeleur,"  said  he. 

She  turned  and,  when  she  saw  who  he  was,  became 
deadly  pale. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  continued  ;  "  Heaven  knows  I  had 
no  will  to  startle  you  ;  and,  indeed,  there  should  be 
nothing  startling  in  the  presence  of  one  who  wishes 
you  so  well  as  I  do.  And,  believe  me,  I  am  acting 
rather  from  necessity  than  choice.  We  have  many 
things  in  common,  and  I  am  sadly  in  the  dark.  There 
is  much  that  I  should  be  doing,  and  my  hands  are  tied. 
I  do  not  know  even  what  to  feel,  nor  who  are  my 
friends  and  enemies." 

found  her  voice  with  an  effort. 
I  do  not  know  who  you  are,"  she  said. 

Miss  Vandeleur,  you  do,"  returned 
Francis  ;  "  better  than  I  do  myself.  Indeed  it  is  on 
that,  above  all,  that  I  seek  light.  Tell  me  what  you 
know,"  he  pleaded.  "  Tell  me  who  I  am,  who  you  are, 
and  how  our  destinies  are  intermixed.  Give  me  a  little 
help  with  my  life,  Miss  Vandeleur — only  a  word  or  twn 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  147 

to  guide  me,  only  the  name  of  my  father,  if  you  will — 
and  I  shall  be  grateful  and  content." 

"  I  will  not  attempt  to  deceive  you,"  she  replied.  "  I 
know  who  you  are,  but  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  say." 

"  Tell  me,  at  least,  that  you  have  forgiven  my  pre- 
sumption, and  I  shall  wait  with  all  the  patience  I  have," 
he  said.  "  If  I  am  not  to  know,  I  must  do  without. 
It  is  cruel,  but  I  can  bear  more  upon  a  push.  Only  do 
not  add  to  my  troubles  the  thought  that  I  have  made 
an  enemy  of  you." 

"  You  did  only  what  was  natural,"  she  said,  "and  I 
have  nothing  to  forgive  you.     Farewell." 

"  Is  it  to  be  farewell 7"  he  asked. 

"  Nay,  that  I  do  not  know  myself,  '  she  answered. 
"  Farewell  for  the  present,  if  you  like." 

And  with  these  words  she  was  gone. 

Francis  returned  to  his  lodging  in  a  state  of  consid- 
erable commotion  of  mind.  He  made  the  most  trifling 
progress  with  his  Euclid  for  that  forenoon,  and  was 
more  often  at  the  window  than  at  his  improvised 
writing-table.  But  beyond  seeing  the  return  of  Miss 
Vandeleur,  and  the  meeting  between  her  and  her  father, 
who  was  smoking  a  Trichinopoli  cigar  in  the  verandah, 
there  was  nothing  notable  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
house  with  the  green  blinds  before  the  time  of  the  mid- 
day meal.  The  young  man  hastily  allayed  his  appetite 
in  a  neighboring  restaurant,  and  returned  with  the 
speed  of  unallayed  curiosity  to  the  house  in  the  Rue 
Lepic.  A  mounted  servant  was  leading  a  saddle- 
horse  to  and  fro  before  the  garden  wall  ;  and  the  por- 
ter of  Francis's  lodging  was  smoking  a  pipe  against  the 
door-post,  absorbed  in  contemplation  of  the  livery  and 
the  steeds. 

"Look!  "he  cried  to  the  young  man,  "what  fine 
cattle!  'what  an  elegant  costume!  They  belong  to  the 
brother  of  M.  de  Vandeleur,  who  is  now  within  upon 
a  visit.  He  is  a  great  man,  a  general,  in  your  country; 
and  you  doubtless  know  him  well  by  reputation." 

"I  confess,"  returned  Francis,  "that  I  have  never 


V  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

heard  ol  General  Vandeleur  before.     We  have  many 
•  that  grade,  and  my  pursuits  have  been  exclu* 
sively  civiL  " 

"it  is  he,"  replied  the  porter,  "  who  lost  the  great 
diamond  of  the  Indies.  0  that  at  least  you  must 
have  read  often  in  the  papers." 

A^  so. m  as  Francis  could  disengage  himself  from 
the  porter  he  ran  up  stairs  and  hurried  to  the  window. 
Immediately  below  the  clear  space  in  the  chestnut 
leaves,  the  two  gentlemen  were  seated  in  conversation 
over  .     The   General,  a  red,  military-looking 

man,  offered  some  traces  of  a  family  resemblance  to 
his  brother;  he  had  something  of  the  same  features, 
something,  although  very  little,  of  the  same  free  and 
powerful  carriage;  but  he  was  older,  smaller,  and  more 
common  in  air;  his  likeness  was  that  of  a  caricature, 
and  he  seemed  altogether  a  poor  and  debile  being  by 
the  side  of  the  Dictator. 

They  spoke  in  tones  so  low,  leaning  over  the  table 
with  every  appearance  of  interest,  that  Francis  could 
catch  no  more  than  a  word  or  two  on  an  occasion. 
For  as  little  as  he  heard,  he  was  convinced  that  the 
conversation  turned  upon  himself  and  his  own  career; 
several  times  the  name  of  Scrymgeour  reached  his 
ear,  for  it  was  easy  to  distinguish,  and  still  more  fre- 
quently he  fancied  he  could  distinguish  the  name 
Francis. 

length   the  General,  as  if  in  a  hot  anger,  broke 
forth  into  several  violent  exclamations. 

Francis   Vandeleur!  "   he  cried,   accentuating  the 
last  word.     "  Francis  Vandeleur,  I  tell  you." 

The  Dictator  made  a  movement  of  his  whole  body, 
half  affirmative,  half  contemptuous,  but  his  answer 
was  i-naudible  to  the  young  man. 

Was  he  the  Francis  Vandeleur  in  question  ?  he  won- 
dered. Were  they  discussing  the  name  under  which 
he  was  to  be  married  ?  Or  was  the  whole  affair  a 
dream  and  a  delusion  of  his  own  conceit  and  self- 
absorption  ? 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  T49 

After  another  interval  of  inaudible  talk,  dissension 
seemed  again  to  arise  between  the  couple  underneath 
the  chestnut,  and  again  the  General  raised  his  voice 
angrily  so  as  to  be  audible  to  Francis. 

"  My  wife  ?  "  he  cried.  "  I  have  done  with  my  wife 
for  good.  I  will  not  hear  her  name.  I  am  sick  of  her 
very  name." 

And  he  swore  aloud  and  beat  the  table  with  his  fist. 

The  Dictator  appeared,  by  his  gestures,  to  pacify 
him  after  a  paternal  fashion;  and  a  little  after  he  con- 
ducted him  to  the  garden-gate.  The  pair  shook  hands 
affectionately  enough;  but  as  soon-  as  the  door  had 
closed  behind  his  visitor,  John  Vandeleur  fell  into  a  fit 
of  laughter  which  sounded  unkindly  and  even  devilish 
in  the  ears  of  Francis  Scrymgeour. 

So  another  day  had  passed,  and  little  more  learnt.  But 
the  young  man  remembered  that  the  morrow  was 
Tuesday,  and  promised  himself  some  curious  discover- 
ies; all  might  be  well,  or  all  might  be  ill;  he  was  sure, 
at  least,  to  glean  some  curious  information,  and,  per- 
haps, by  good  luck,  get  at  the  heart  of  the  mystery 
which  surrounded  his  father  and  his  family. 

As  the  hour  of  the  dinner  drew  near  many  prepar- 
ations were  made  in  the  garden  of  the  house  with  the 
green  blinds.  The  table  which  was  partly  visible  to 
Francis  through  the  chestnut  leaves  was  destined  to 
serve  as  a  sideboard,  and  carried  relays  of  plates  and 
the  materials  for  salad:  the  other,  which  was  almost 
entirely  concealed,  had  been  set  apart  for  the  diners, 
and  Francis  could  catch  glimpses  of  white  cloth  and 
silver  plate. 

Mr.  Rolles  arrived,  punctual  to  the  minute;  he 
looked  like  a  man  upon  his  guard,  and  spoke  low  and 
sparingly.  The  Dictator,  on  the  other  hand,  appeared 
to  enjoy  an  unusual  flow  of  spirits;  his  laugh,  which 
was  youthful  and  pleasant  to  hear,  sounded  frequently 
from  the  garden;  by  the  modulation  and  the  changes 
of  his  voice  it  was  obvious  that  he  told  many  droll 
stories  and  imitated  the  accents  of  a  variety  of  differ- 


150  \J  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

ent  nations;  and  before  he  and  the   young  clergyman 

had  finished  their  vermouth  all  feeling  of  distrust  was 

■  end,  and  they  were  talking  together  like  .1  pair  1  1 

'.  <  ompar 

\*.  length  Miss  Vandeleur  made  her  appearand  e, 
ing  the  soup-tureen.  Mr.  Rolles  ran  to  offer  her 
,  which  she  laughingly  refused;  and  there 
an  interchange  of  pleasantries  among  the  trio 
h  seemed  to  have  reference  to  this  primitive  man- 
ner of  waiting  by  one  of  the  company. 

"One  is  more  at  one's  ease,"  Mr.  Vandeleur  was 
heard  to  declare. 

Next  moment  they  were  all  three  in  their  places, 
and  Francis  could  see  as  little  as  he  could  hear  of 
what  passed  ;  but  the  dinner  seemed  to  go  merrily  ; 
there  was  a  perpetual  babble  of  voices  and  sound  of 
knives  and  forks  below  the  chestnut  ;  and  Francis, 
who  had  no  more  than  a  roll  to  gnaw,  was  affected 
with  envy  by  the  comfort  and  deliberation  of  the  meal. 
The  party  lingered  over  one  dish  after  another,  and  then 
over  a  delicate  dessert,  with  a  bottle  of  old  wine  care- 
fully uncorked  by  the  hand  of  the  Dictator  himself. 
As  it  began  to  grow  dark  a  lamp  was  set  upon  the 
table  and  a  couple  of  candles  on  the  sideboard  ;  for 
the  night  was  perfectly  pure,  starry,  and  windless. 
Light  overflowed  besides  from  the  door  and  window  in 
the  verandah,  so  that  the  garden  was  fairly  illuminated 
and  the  leaves  twinkled  in  the  darkness. 

For  perhaps  the  tenth  time  Miss  Vandeleur  entered 
tlif  house  ;  and  on  this  occasion  she  returned  with  the 
e  tray,  which  she  placed  upon  the  sideboard.  At 
the  same  moment  her  father  rose  from  his  seat. 

"The  coffee  is  my  province,"  Francis  heard  him 
say. 

And  next  moment  he  saw  his  supposed  father  stand- 
ing by  the  sideboard  in  the  light  of  the  candles. 

Talking  over  his  shoulder  all  the  while,  Mr.  Van- 
deleur poured  out  two  cups  of  the  brown  stimulant, 
and  then,  by  a  rapid  act  of  prestidigitation,  emptied  the 


THE  RA  J  AH 'S  DIAMOND.  1 5 1 

contents  of  a  tiny  phial  into  the  smaller  one  of  the  two. 
The  thing  was  so  swiftly  done  that  even  Francis,  who 
looked  straight  into  his  face,  had  hardly  time  to  per- 
ceive the  movement  before  it  was  completed.  And 
next  instant,  and  still  laughing,  Mr.  Vandeleur  had 
turned  again  towards  the  table  with  a  cup  in  either 
hand. 

"  We  have  done  with  this,"  said  he,  "  we  may  expect 
our  famous  Hebrew." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  depict  the  confusion  and 
distress  of  Francis  Scrymgeour.  He  saw  foul  play 
going  forward  before  his  eyes,  and  he  felt  bound  to 
interfere,  but  knew  not  how.  It  might  be  a  mere 
pleasantry,  and  then  how  should  he  look  if  he  were  to 
offer  an  unnecessary  warning  ?  Or  again,  if  it  were 
serious,  the  criminal  might  be  his  own  father,  and  then 
how  should  he  not  lament  if  he  were  to  bring  ruin  on 
the  author  of  his  days  ?  For  the  first  time  he  became 
conscious  of  his  own  position  as  a  spy.  To  wait 
inactive  at  such  a  juncture  and  with  such  a  conflict  of 
sentiments  in  his  bosom  was  to  suffer  the  most  acute 
torture  ;  he  clung  to  the  bars  of  the  shutters,  his  heart 
beat  fast  and  with  irregularity,  and  he  felt  a  strong 
sweat  break  forth  upon  his  body. 

Several  minutes  passed. 

He  seemed  to  perceive  the  conversation  die  away 
and  grow  less  and  less  in  vivacity  and  volume  ;  but 
still  no  sign  of  any  alarming  or  even  notable  event. 

Suddenly  the  ring  of  a  glass  breaking  was  followed 
by  a  faint  and  dull  sound,  as  of  a  person  who  should 
have  fallen  forward  with  his  head  upon  the  table.  At 
the  same  moment  a  piercing  scream  rose  from  the 
garden. 

"  What  have  you  done  ? "  cried  Miss  Vandeleur. 
"  He  is  dead  !  " 

The  Dictator  replied  in  a  violent  whisper,  so  strong 
and  sibilant  that  every  word  was  audible  to  the  watcher 
at  the  window. 

"  Silence  !  "    said  Mr.  Vandeleur  ;  "  the  man  is  as 


15^  A7  W  ARABIAN  X  hi  HIS. 

well  as   I  am.      Take  him  l>y  the  heels  whilst  I  carry 
him  by  the  should' 

Francis  heard   Miss  Vandeleur  break  forth  into  a 

"  Do  you  hear  what  I  say  ?"  resumed  the  Dictator, 
in  the  same  tones.  "  '  >r  <1<>  you  wish  to  quarrel  with 
me?     I  give  you  your  choice,  Miss  Vandeleur." 

There  was  another  pause,  ami  the  Dictator  spoke 
again. 

"  Take  that  man  by  the  heels,"  he  said.  "  I  must 
have  him  brought  into  the  house.  If  1  were  a  little 
younger,  I  could  help  myself  against  the  world.  But 
now  that  years  and  dangers  are  upon  me  and  my 
hands  are  weakened,  I  must  turn  to  you  for  aid." 

"It  is  a  crime,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  I  am  your  father,"  said  Mr.  Vandeleur. 

This  appeal  seemed  to  produce  its  effect.  A  scuffling 
noise  followed  upon  the  gravel,  a  chair  was  overset, 
and  then  Francis  saw  the  father  and  daughter  stagger 
across  the  walk  and  disappear  under  the  verandah, 
bearing  the  inanimate  body  of  Mr.  Rolles  embraced 
about  the  knees  and  shoulders.  The  young  clergyman 
was  limp  and  pallid,  and  his  head  rolled  upon  his 
shoulders  at  every  step. 

■W'as  he  alive  or  dead  ?  Francis,  in  spite  of  the  Dic- 
tator's declaration,  inclined  to  the  latter  view.  A  great 
crime  had  been  committed  ;  a  gi  eat  calamity  had  fallen 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  house  with  the  green  blinds. 
To  his  surprise,  Francis  found  all  horror  for  the  deed 
swallowed  up  in  sorrow  for  a  girl  and  an  old  man 
whom  he  judged  to  lie  in  the  height  of  peril.  A  tide 
nerous  feeling  swept  into  his  heart ;  he,  too,  would 
help  his  father  against  man  and  mankind,  against  fate 
and  justice  ;  and  casting  open  the  shutters  he  closed 
his  eyes  and  threw  himself  with  outstretched  arms  into 
the  foliage  of  the  chestnut. 

Branch  after  branch  slipped  from  his  grasp  or  broke 
under  his  weight;  then  he  caught  a  stalwart  bough 
under  his  armpit,  and  hung  suspended  for  a  second  ; 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  153 

and  then  he  let  himself  drop  and  fell  heavily  against 
the  table.  A  cry  of  alarm  from  the  house  warned  him 
that  his  entrance  had  not  been  effected  unobserved. 
He  recovered  himself  with  a  stagger,  and  in  three 
bounds  crossed  the  intervening  space  and  stood  before 
the  door  in  the  verandah. 

In  a  small  apartment,  carpeted  with  matting  and 
surrounded  by  glazed  cabinets  full  of  rare  and  costly 
curios,  Mr.  Vandeleur  was  stooping  over  the  body  of 
Mr.  Rolles.  He  raised  himself  as  Francis  entered,  and 
there  was  an  instantaneous  passage  of  hands.  It  was 
the  business  of  a  second;  as  fast  as  an  eye  can  wink  the 
thing  was  done;  the  young  man  had  not  the  time  to  be 
sure,  but  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  the  Dictator  had  taken 
something  from  the  curate's  breast,  looked  at  it  for  the 
least  fraction  of  time  as  it  lay  in  his  hand,  and  then 
suddenly  and  swiftly  passed  it  to  his  daughter. 

All  this  was  over  while  Francis  had  still  one  foot 
upon  the  threshold,  and  the  other  raised  in  air.  The 
next  instant  he  was  on  his  knees  to  Mr.  Vandeleur. 

"  Father  !  "  he  cried.  "  Let  me  too  help  you.  I  will 
do  what  you  wish  and  ask  no  questions;  I  will  obey 
you  with  my  life;  treat  me  as  a  son,  and  you  will  find 
I  have  a  son's  devotion." 

A  deplorable  explosion  of  oaths  was  the  Dictator's 
first  reply. 

"  Son  and  Father  ?  "  he  cried.     "  Father  and  son  ? 

What  d d  unnatural  comedy  is  all  this  ?     How  do 

you  come  in  my  garden  ?  What  do  you  want  ?  And 
who,  in  God's  name,  are  you  ?  " 

Francis,  with  a  stunned  and  shamefaced  aspect,  got 
upon  his  feet  again,  and  stood  in  silence. 

Then  a  light  seemed  to  break  upon  Mr.  Vandeleur, 
and  he  laughed  aloud. 

"  I  see,"  cried  he.  "It  is  the  Scrymgeour.  Very 
well,  Mr.  Scrymgeour.  Let  me  tell  you  in  a  few  words 
how  you  stand.  You  have  entered  my  private  residence 
by  force,  or  perhaps  by  fraud,  but  certainly  with  no 
encouragement  from  me;  and  you  come  at  a  moment 


i>l  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

me  annoyance,  a  guest  having  fainted  at  my  table, 
to  besiege  me  with  your  protestations.     You  are  no  son 

of  mine.     You  are  my  brother's  bastard  by  a  fishwife, 
i  want  to  know.  I  regard  you  with  an  indifference 
v  bordering  on  aversion;  and  from  what  I  now 
r<  onduct,  I  judge  your  mind  to   be   exactly 
suitable    to    your    exterior.      I    recommend   you    these 
mortifying   reflections   for   your   leisure;     and,    in    the 
meantime,  let  me  beseech  you  to  rid  us  of  your  pres- 
ence.     If   I    were  not  occupied,"  added  the    Did 
with  a  terrifying  oath,  "  I  should  give  you  the  unholiest 
drubbing  ere  you  went  !  " 

Francis  listened  in  profound  humiliation.  He  would 
have  lied  had  it  been  possible;  but  as  he  had  no  means 
of  leaving  the  residence  into  which  he  had  so  un- 
fortunately penetrated,  he  could  do  no  more  than  stand 
foolishly  where  he  was. 

It  was  Miss  Yandeleur  who  broke  the  silence. 

"Father,"  she  said,  "you  speak  in  anger.  Mr. 
Scrymgeour  may  have  been  mistaken,  but  he  meant 
well  and  kindly." 

"  Thank  you  for  speaking,"  returned  the  Dictator. 
"  You  remind  me  of  some  other  observations  which  I 
hold  it  a  point  of  honor  to  make  to  Mr.  Scrymgeour. 
My  brother,"  he  continued,  addressing  the  young  man, 
"  has  been  foolish  enough  to  give  you  an  allowance; 
he  was  foolish  enough  and  presumptuous  enough  to 
propose  a  match  between  you  and  this  young  lady. 
You  were  exhibited  to  her  two  nights  ago;  and  I 
rejoice  to  tell  you  that  she  rejected  the  idea  with  dis- 
gust. Let  me  add  that  I  have  considerable  influence 
with  your  father  ;  and  it  shall  not  be  my  fault  if  you 
are  not  beggared  of  your  allowance  and  sent  back  to 
your  scrivening  ere  the  week  be  out." 

The  tones  of  the  old  man's  voice  were,  if  possible, 
more  wounding  than  his  language  ;  Francis  felt  himself 
exposed  to  the  most  cruel,  blighting,  and  unbearable 
contempt  ;  his  head  turned,  and  he  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands,  uttering  at  the  same  time  a  tearless  sob 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  155 

of  agony.  But  Miss  Vandeleur  once  again  interfered 
in  his  behalf. 

"  Mr.  Scrymgeour,"  she  said,  speaking  in  clear  and 
even  tones,  "  you  must  not  be  concerned  at  my  father's 
harsh  expressions.  I  felt  no  disgust  for  you  ;  on  the 
contrary,  I  asked  an  opportunity  to  make  your  better 
acquaintance.  As  for  what  has  passed  to-night, 
believe  me  it  has  filled  my  mind  with  both  pity  and 
esteem." 

Just  then  Mr.  Rolles  made  a  convulsive  movement 
with  his  arm,  which  convinced  Francis  that  he  was  only 
drugged,  and  was  beginning  to  throw  off  the  influence 
of  the  opiate.  Mr.  Vandeleur  stooped  over  him  and 
examined  his  face  for  an  instant. 

"  Come,  come  !  "  cried  he,  raising  his  head.  "  Let 
there  be  an  end  of  this.  And  since  you  are  so  pleased 
with  his  conduct,  Miss  Vandeleur,  take  a  candle  and 
show  the  bastard  out." 

The  young  lady  hastened  to  obey. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Francis,  as  soon  as  he  was  alone 
with  her  in  the  garden.  "  I  thank  you  from  my  soul. 
This  has  been  the  bitterest  evening  of  my  life,  but  it 
will  have  always  one  pleasant  recollection." 

"I  spoke  as  I  felt,"  she  replied,  "and  in  justice  to 
you.  It  made  my  heart  sorry  that  you  should  be  so 
unkindly  used." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  garden  gate ;  and 
Miss  Vandeleur,  having  set  the  candle  on  the  ground, 
was  already  unfastening  the  bolts. 

"  One  word  more,"  said  Francis.  "  This  is  not  for 
the  last  time — I  shall  see  you  again,  shall  I  not?" 

''Alas!"  she  answered.  "You  have  heard  my 
father.     What  can  I  do  but  obey  ?" 

"Tell  me  at  least  that  it  is  not  with  your  consent," 
returned  Francis  ;  "  tell  me  that  you  have  no  wish  to 
see  the  last  of  me." 

"  Indeed,"  replied  she,  "  I  have  none.  You  seem  to 
me  both  brave  and  honest." 

"Then."  said  Francis,  "give  me  a  keepsake." 


i5<>  '      ■'■"  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

She  paused  for  a  moment,  with  her  hand  upon  the 

key  ;   for  the  various  liars  and   1  >< >lts  were  all   undone, 
and  there  was  nothing  left  but  to  open  the  lo<  k. 

"  It    1  ,"  she  said,  "  will  you   promise  to  do  as  I 

tell  you  from  point  to  point  ?  " 

"i    ■   you  ask?"  replied  Francis.     "I  would  do  so 
willingly  on  your  hare  word." 

turned  the  key  and  threw  open  the  door. 
Be  it  so,"  said  she.  "  You  do  not  know  what  you 
ask,  but  be  it  so.  Whatever  you  hear,"  she  continued, 
"  whatever  happens,  do  not  return  to  this  house  ;  hurry 
mtil  you  reach  the  lighted  and  populous  quarters 
of  the  city  ;  even  there  be  upon  your  guard.  You  are 
in  a  greater  danger  than  you  fancy.  Promise  me  you 
will  not  so  much  as  look  at  any  keepsake  until  you  are 
in  a  place  of  safety." 

"  I  promise,"  replied  Francis. 

She  put  something  loosely  wrapped  in  a  handkerchief 
into  the  young  man's  hand  ;  and  at  the  same  time,  with 
h    than    he    could   have   anticipated,   she 
pushed  him  into  the  street. 

"  Now,  run  !  "  she  cried. 

lie  heard  the  door  close  behind  him,  and  the  noise 
of  the  bolts  being  replaced. 

"  My  faith,"  said  he,  "  since  I  have  promised  !  " 

And  he  took  to  his  heels  down  the  lane  that  leads  into 
the  Rue  Ravignan. 

He  was  not  fifty  paces  from  the  house  with  the  green 

blinds  when  the  most  diabolical  outcry  suddenly  arose 

out  of  the  stillness  of  the  night.    Mechanically  he  stood 

still  ;  another  passenger  followed  his  example  ;  in  the 

neighboring  floors    he    saw    people  crowding  to    the 

windows ;    a   conflagration  could   not  have  produced 

more  disturbance  in  this  empty  quarter.      And  yet  it 

led  to  he   all    the  work   of   a   single   man,  roaring 

■en  grief  and  rage,  like  a  lioness   robbed  of  her 

whelps  ;  and  Francis  was  surprised  and  alarmed  to  hear 

iwn   name  shouted  with  English   imprecations  to 

the  wind 


THE  RA  J  A II '  S  DIA  MOND.  1 5  7 

His  first  movement  was  to  return  to  the  house  ;  his 
second,  as  he  remembered  Miss  Vandeleur's  advice,  to 
continue  his  flight  with  greater  expedition  than  before  ; 
and  he  was  in  the  act  oi  turning  to  put  his  thought  in 
action,  when  the  Dictator,  bareheaded,  bawling  aloud, 
his  white  hair  blowing  about  his  head,  shot  past  him 
like  a  ball  out  of  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  went  career- 
ing down  the  street. 

"  That  was  a  close  shave,"  thought  Francis  to  him- 
self. "What  he  wants  with  me,  and  why  he  should  be 
so  disturbed,  I  cannot  think  ;  but  he  is  plainly  not 
good  company  for  the  moment,  and  I  cannot  do  better 
than   follow  Miss  Vandeleur's  advice." 

So  saying,  he  turned  to  retrace  his  steps,  thinking  to 
double  and  descend  by  the  Rue  Lepic  itself  while  his 
pursuer  should  continue  to  follow  after  him  on  the  other 
line  of  street.  The  plan  was  ill-advised  :  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  he  should  have  taken  his  seat  in  the  nearest 
cafe,  and  waited  there  until  the  first  heat  of  the  pursuit 
was  over.  But  besides  that  Francis  had  no  experience 
and  little  natural  aptitude  for  the  small  war  of  private 
life,  he  was  so  unconscious  of  any  evil  on  his  part,  that 
he  saw  nothing  to  fear  beyond  a  disagreeable  interview. 
And  to  disagreeable  interviews  he  felt  he  had  already 
served  his  apprenticeship  that  evening  ;  nor  could  he 
suppose  that  Miss  Vandeleur  had  left  anything  unsaid. 
Indeed,  the  young  man  was  sore  both  in  body  and 
mind — the  one  was  all  bruised,  the  other  was  full  of 
smarting  arrows  ;  and  he  owned  to  himself  that  Mr. 
Vandeleur  was  master  of  a  very  deadly  tongue. 

The  thought  of  his  bruises  reminded  him  that  he  had 
not  only  come  without  a  hat,  but  that  his  clothes  had 
considerably  suffered  in  his  descent  through  the  chest- 
nut. At  the  first  magazine  he  purchased  a  cheap  wide- 
awake, and  had  the  disorder  of  his  toilet  summarily 
repaired.  The  keepsake,  still  rolled  in  the  handkerchief, 
he  thrust  in  the  meanwhile  into  his    trousers  pocket. 

Not  many  steps  beyond  the  shop  he  was  conscious 
of  a  sudden  shock,  a  hand  upon  his  throat,  an   infuri- 


1 5  8  NE  W  .IK. I  A/.  /  N  NIGHTS. 

ated  face  close  to  his  own,  and  an  open  mouth  bawl* 
ing  curses  in  his  ear.     The  Dictator,  having  found  no 
dt  his  quarry,  was  returning  by  the  other  way. 
Fran  stalwart  young  fellow  ;  but  he  was  no 

h  for  his  adversary  whether  in  strength  or  skill ; 
ami  after  a  feu-  ineffectual  struggles  he  resigned  him- 
self entirely  to  his  captor. 

"What  do  you  want  with  me?" 

"  We  will  talk  of  that  at  home,"  returned  the  I  >i<  ta- 
tor,  grimly. 

And  he  continued  to  march  the  young  man  up  hill 
in  tin-  direction  of  the  house  with  the  green  blinds. 

But  Francis,  although  he  no  longer  struggled,  was 
only  waiting  an  opportunity  to  make  a  hold  push  for 
freedom.  With  a  sudden  jerk  he  left  the  collar  of  his 
coat  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Vandeleur,  and  once  more 
made  off  a  his  best  speed  in  the  direction  of  the  Boule- 
vards. 

The  tables  were  now  turned.  If  the  Dictator  was 
the  stronger,  Francis,  in  the  top  of  his  youth,  was  the 
more  fleet  of  foot,  and  he  had  soon  effected  his  escape 
among  ti:  Relieved  for  a  moment,  but  with 

a  growing  sentiment  of  alarm  and  wonder  in  his  mind, 
he  walked  briskly  until  he  debouched  upon  the  Place 
de  l'Opera,  lit  up  like  day  with  electric  lamps. 

"This,  at  least,"  thought  he,  "  should  satisfy  Miss 
Vandeleur.  " 

And  turning  to  his  right  along  the  Boulevards,  he 
entered  the  Cafe  Americain  and  ordered  some  beer. 
It  was  both  late  and  early  for  the  majority  of  the  fre- 
quenters of  the  establishment.  Only  two  or  three 
persons,  all  men,  were  dotted  here  and  there  at  sepa 
rate  tables  in  the  hall  ;  and  Francis  was  too  much 
occupied  by  his  own  thoughts  to  observe  their  pres- 
ence. 

He  drew  the  handkerchief  from  his  pocket.  The 
object  wrapped  in  it  proved  to  be  a  morocco  case, 
clasped  and  ornamented  in  gilt,  which  opened  by  means 
of  a  spring,  and  disclosed  to  the  horrified  young  man 


THE  RA  JAH'S  DIAMOND.  1 5  9 

a  diamond  of  monstrous  bigness  and  extraordinary 
brilliancy.  The  circumstance  was  so  inexplicable,  the 
value  of  the  stone  was  plainly  so  enormous,  that  Fran- 
cis sat  staring  into  the  open  casket  without  movement, 
without  conscious  thought,  like  a  man  stricken  sud- 
denly with  idiocy. 

A  hand  was  laid  upon  his  shoulder,  lightly  but 
firmly,  and  a  quiet  voice,  which  yet  had  in  it  the  ring 
of  command,  uttered  these  words  in  his  ear: — 

"  Close  the  casket,  and  compose  your  face." 

Looking  up,  he  beheld  a  man,  still  young,  of  an 
urbane  and  tranquil  presence,  and  dressed  with  rich 
simplicity.  This  personage  had  risen  from  a  neigh- 
boring table,  and  bringing  his  glass  with  him,  had  taken 
a  seat  beside  Francis. 

"  Close  the  casket,"  replied  the  stranger,  "  and  put 
it  quietly  back  into  your  pocket,  where  I  feel  persuaded 
it  should  never  have  been.  Try,  if  you  please,  to 
throw  off  your  bewildered  air,  and  act  as  though  I  were 
one  of  your  acquaintances  whom  you  had  met  by 
chance.  So  !  Touch  glasses  with  me.  That  is  better. 
I  fear,  sir,  you  must  be  an  amateur." 

And  the  stranger  pronounced  these  last  words  with 
a  smile  of  peculiar  meaning,  leaned  back  in  his  seat 
and  enjoyed  a  deep  inhalation  of  tobacco. 

"For  God'ssake,"  saidFrancis,  "  tell  me  who  you  are 
and  what  this  means?  Why  I  should  obey  your  most 
unusual  suggestions  I  am  sure  I  know  not  ;  but  the 
truth  is,  I  have  fallen  this  evening  into  so  many  per- 
plexing adventures,  and  all  I  meet  conduct  themselves 
so  strangely,  that  I  think  I  must  either  have  gone  mad 
or  wandered  into  another  planet.  Your  face  inspires 
me  with  confidence  ;  you  seem  wise,  good,  and  experi- 
enced ;  tell  me,  for  heaven's  sake,  why  you  accost  me 
in  so  odd  a  fashion  ?  " 

"All  in  due  time,"  replied  the  stranger.  "But  I 
have  the  first  hand,  and  you  must  begin  by  telling  me 
how  the  Rajah's  Diamond  is  in  your  possession." 

"  The  Rajah's  Diamond  !  " 


.  •  ARABIAN  MCirrs. 

"1  would  not  speak  so  loud,  if  I  were  you,"  returned 

the  other.     "  But  most  certainly  you  have  the  Rajah's 

Diamond  in  your  pocket.     I  have  seen  and  handled  it 

>reof  times  in  Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur's  collection." 

"Sir   Thomas    Vandeleur !      The    General!      My 

"  \  r  father?"  repeated  the  stranger.  "  I  was  not 
aware  the  General  had  any  family." 

"  I  am  illegitimate,  sir,"  replied  Francis  with  a  Hush. 

The  other  bowed  with  gravity.  Il  was  a  respectful 
hew,  as  of  a  man  silently  apologizing  to  his  equal  ;  and 
Francis  felt  relieved  and  comforted,  he  scarce  knew 
why.  The  society  of  this  person  did  him  good  ;  he 
seemed  to  touch  firm  ground  ;  a  strong  feeling  of 
respect  grew  up  in  his  bosom,  and  mechanically  he 
removed  his  wide-awake  as  though  in  the  presence  of 
a  superior, 

"I  perceive,"  said  the  stranger,  "that  your  adven- 
tures have  not  all  been  peaceful.  Your  collar  is  torn, 
your  face  is  scratched,  you  have  a  cut  upon  your  tem- 
ple ;  you  will,  perhaps,  pardon  my  curiosity  when  I 
ask  you  to  explain  how  you  came  by  these  injuries,  and 
how  you  happen  to  have  stolen  property  to  an  enor- 
mous value  in  your  pocket." 

"  I  must  differ  from  you  !  "  returned  Francis,  hotly. 
"  I  possess  no  stolen  property.  And  if  you  refer  to  the 
diamond,  it  was  given  to  me  not  an  hour  ago  by  Miss 
Vandeleur  in  the  Rue  Lepic." 

"  By  Mi  V  indeleur  of  the  Rue  Lepic!"  repeated 
tlie  other.  "  You  interest  me  more  than  you  suppose. 
Fray  continue.'' 

"  Heavens  !  "  cried  Francis. 

Mis  memory  had  made  a  sudden  bound.  He  had 
seen  Mr.  Vandeleur  take  an  article  from  the  breast  of 
his  drugged  visitor,  and  that  article,  he  was  now  per- 
is  a  morocco  case. 

"  You  have  a  light  ?"   inquired  the  stranger. 

"  Listen,"  said  Francis.  "  I  know  not  who  you  are, 
but   I   believe   you   to   be   worthy  of   confidence    and 


THE  RAJAWS  DIAMOND.  161 

helpful ;  I  find  myself  in  strange  waters  ;  I  must  have 
counsel  and  support,  and  since  you  invite  me  I  shall 
tell  you  all." 

And  he  briefly  recounted  his  experiences  since  the 
day  when  he  was  summoned  from  the  bank  by  his 
lawyer. 

"  Yours  is  indeed  a  remarkable  history,"  said  the 
stranger,  after  the  young  man  had  made  an  end  of  his 
narrative;  "and  your  position  is  full  of  difficulty  and 
peril.  Many  would  counsel  you  to  seek  out  your  father, 
and  give  the  diamond  to  him  ;  but  I  have  other  views. 
Waiter  !"  he  cried. 

The  waiter  drew  near. 

"  Will  you  ask  the  manager  to  speak  with  me  a 
moment  ?  "  said  he  ;  and  Francis  observed  once  more, 
both  in  his  tone  and  manner,  the  evidence  of  a  habit  of 
command. 

The  waiter  withdrew,  and  returned  in  a  moment 
with  the  manager,  who  bowed  with  obsequious 
respect. 

"What,"  said  he,  "can  I  do  to  serve  you  ?" 

"  Have  the  goodness,"  replied  the  stranger,  indicat- 
ing Francis,  "  to  tell  this  gentleman  my  name. 

"  You  have  the  honor,  sir,"  said  the  functionary, 
addressing  young  Scrymgeour,  "to  occupy  the  same 
table  with  His  Highness  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia." 

Francis  rose  with  precipitation,  and  made  a  grate- 
ful reverence  to  the  Prince,  who  bade  him  resume 
his  seat. 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Florizel,  once  more  addressing 
the  functionary  ;  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  deranged  you 
for  so  small  a  matter." 

And  he  dismissed  him  with  a  movement  of  his  hand. 

"  And  now,"  added  the  Prince,  turning  to  Francis, 
"  give  me  the  diamond." 

Without  a  word  the  casket  was  handed  over. 

"  You  have  done  right,"  said  Florizel  ;  "  your 
sentiments  have  properly  inspired  you,  and  you  will 
live  to  be  grateful  for  the  misfortunes  of   to-night.     A 


new  arab:an  nights. 

man,  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  may  fall  into  a  thousand  per* 
plexi ties,  but  it  his  heart  be  upright  and  his  intellig 
unclouded,  he  will  issue  from  them  all  without  dis- 
honor. Let  your  mind  beat  rest;  your  affairs  arc  in 
my  hands  ;  and  with  the  aid  of  heaven  I  am  strong 
enough  to  bring  them  to  a  good  end.  Follow  me,  if 
you  please,  to  my  <  an  i 

So  saying  the  Prince  arose  and,  having  left  a  piece  of 

for  the  waiter,  conducted  the  young  man  from 

the     cafe*     and     along   the     Boulevard    to     where    an 

unpretentious  brougham  and  a  couple  of  servants  out 

of  livery  awaited  his  arrival. 

"This  carriage,"  said  he,  "is  at  your  disposal; 
collect  your  baggage  as  rapidly  as  you  can  make  it 
enient,  and  my  servants  will  conduct  you  to  a 
villa  in  the  neighborhood  of  Paris  where  you  can  wait 
in  some  degree  of  comfort  until  I  have  had  time  to 
arrange  your  situation  You  will  find  there  a  pleasant 
garden,  a  library  of  good  authors,  a  (  ook,  a  cellar,  and 
some  good  <  igars,  which  I  recommend  to  your  atten- 
rome,"  he  added,  turning  to  one  of  the  ser- 
vants, "  you  have  heard  what  I  say;  I  leave  Mr.  Scrym- 
geour  in  your  charge  ;  you  will,  I  know,  be  careful  of 
my  friend." 

Francis  uttered  some  broken  phrases  of  gratitude. 

"  It  will  be  time  enough  to  thank  me,"  said  the 
Prince,  "when  you  are  acknowledged  by  your  father 
and  married  to  Miss  Vandeleur." 

And  with  that  the  Prince  turned  away  and  strolled 
leisurely  in  the  direction  of  Montmartre.  He  hailed 
the  first  passing  cab,  gave  an  address,  and  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  afterwards,  having  discharged  the  driver  some 
distance  lower,  he  was  knocking  at  Mr.  Vandeleur  s 
garden  gate. 

It  was  opened  with  singular  precautions  by  the  Dic- 
tator in  person. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  You  must  pardon  me  this  late  visit,  Mr.  Vande- 
leur," replied  the  Prince. 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  163 

"  Your  Highness  is  always  welcome,"  returned  Mr. 
Vandeleur,  stepping  back. 

The  Prince  profited  by  the  open  space,  and  without 
waiting  for  his  host  walked  right  into  the  house  and 
opened  the  door  of  the  salon.  Two  people  were  seated 
there  ;  one  was  Miss  Vandeleur,  who  bore  the  marks 
of  weeping  about  her  eyes,  and  was  still  shaken  from 
time  to  time  by  a  sob  ;  in  the  other  the  Prince  recog- 
nized the  young  man  who  had  consulted  him  on  literary 
matters  about  a  month  before,  in  a  club  smoking-room. 

"  Good  evening,  Miss  Vandeleur,"  said  Florizel  ; 
"  you  look  fatigued.  Mr.  Rolles,  I  believe  ?  I  hope 
you  have  profited  by  the  study  of  Gaboriau,  Mr. 
Rolles." 

But  the  young  clergyman's  temper  was  too  much 
embittered  for  speech  ;  and  he  contented  himself  with 
bowing  stiffly,  and  continued  to  gnaw  his  lip. 

"  To  what  good  wind,"  said  Mr.  Vandeleur,  follow- 
ing his  guest,  "  am  I  to  attribute  the  honor  of  your 
Highness's  presence  ? " 

"  I  am  come  on  business,"  returned  the  Prince  ;  "  on 
business  with  you  ;  as  soon  as  that  is  settled  I  shall 
request  Mr.  Rolles  to  accompany  me  for  a  walk.  Mr. 
Rolles,"  he  added,  with  severity,  "let  me  remind  you 
that  I  have  not  yet  sat  down." 

The  clergyman  sprang  to  his  feet  with  an  apology  ; 
whereupon  the  Prince  took  an  arm-chair  beside  the 
table,  handed  his  hat  to  Mr.  Vandeleur,  his  cane  to 
Mr.  Rolles,  and,  leaving  them  standing  and  thus 
menially  employed  upon  his  service,  spoke  as  follows  : — ■ 

"  I  have  come  here,  as  I  said,  upon  business  ;  but, 
had  I  come  looking  for  pleasure,  I  could  not  have  been 
more  displeased  with  my  reception  nor  more  dissatis- 
fied with  my  company.  You,  sir,"  addressing  Mr. 
Rolles,  "  you  have  treated  your  superior  in  station 
with  discourtesy  ;  you,  Vandeleur,  receive  me  with  a 
smile,  but  you  know  right  well  that  your  hands  are  not 
yet  cleansed  from  misconduct.  I  do  not  desire  to  be 
interrupted,  sir,"  he  added,  imperiously  ;   "  I  am  here 


164  ■"  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

ak,  and  not  to  listen  ;  and  I  have  to  ask  you  to 
hoar  me  with  respect,  and  to  obey  punctiliously.  At 
tin-  earliest  possible  date  your  daughter  shall  he  mar- 
ried at  the  Embassy  to  my  friend,  Francis  Scrymgeour, 
brother's  acknowledged  son.  You  will  oblige  me 
by  offering  not  less  than  ten  thousand  pounds  dowry. 
yourself,  I  will  indicate  to  you  in  writing  a  mission 
of  some  importance  in  Siam  which  I  destine  to  your 
care.  And  now,  sir,  you  will  answer  me  in  two  words 
whether  or  not  you  agree  to  these  conditions." 

"  Your  Highness  will  pardon  me,"  said  Mr.  Vande- 
leur,  "  and  permit  me,  with  all  respect,  to  submit  to 
him  two  queries  ?  " 

"  The  permission  is  granted,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"Your  Highness,"  resumed  the  Dictator,  "has 
called  Mr.  Scrymgeour  his  friend.  Believe  me,  had  I 
known  that  he  was  thus  honored,  I  should  have  treated 
him  with  proportional  respect." 

"  You  interrogate  adroitly,"  said  the  Prince  ;  "  but 
it  will  not  serve  your  turn.  You  have  my  commands  ; 
if  I  had  never  seen  that  gentleman  before  to-night,  it 
would  not  render  them  less  absolute." 

"Your  Highness  interprets  my  meaning  with  his 
usual  subtlety,"  returned  Yandeleur.  "Once  more: 
I  have,  unfortunately,  put  the  police  upon  the  track  of 
Mr.  Scrymgeour  on  a  charge  of  theft  ;  am  I  to  with- 
draw or  to  uphold  the  accusation  ?  " 

"  You  will  please  yourself,"  replied  Florizel.  "The 
question  is  one  between  your  conscience  and  the  laws 
of  this  land.  Give  me  my  hat  ;  and  you,  Mr.  Rolles, 
give  me  my  cane  and  follow  me.  Miss  Vandeleur,  I 
wish  you  good  evening.  I  judge,"  he  added  to  Vande- 
leur, "  that  your  silence  means  unqualified  assent." 

'"'  If  I  can  do  no  better,"  replied  the  old  man,  "  I 
shall  submit  ;  but  I  warn  you  openly  it  shall  not  be 
without  a  struggle." 

"  You  are  old,"  said  the  Prince  ;  "  but  years  are  dis- 
graceful to  the  wicked.  Your  age  is  more  unwise  than 
the  youth  of  others.     Do  not  provoke  me,  or  you  may 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  165 

find  me  harder  than  you  dream.  This  is  the  first  time 
that  I  have  fallen  across  your  path  in  anger  ;  take  care 
that  it  be  the  last." 

With  these  words,  motioning  the  clergyman  to  follow, 
Florizel  left  the  apartment  and  directed  his  steps 
towards  the  garden-gate  ;  and  the  Dictator,  following 
with  a  candle,  gave  them  light,  and  once  more  undid 
the  elaborate  fastenings  with  which  he  sought  to  pro- 
tect himself  from  intrusion. 

"Your  daughter  is  no  longer  present,"  said  the 
Prince,  turning  on  the  threshold.  "  Let  me  tell  you 
that  I  understand  your  threats  ;  and  you  have  only  to 
lift  your  hand  to  bring  upon  yourself  sudden  and  irre- 
mediable ruin." 

The   Dictator  made  no  reply  ;  but   as  the  Prince 
turned  his  back  upon  him  in  the  lamplight  he  made 
gesture  full  of  menace  and  insane  fury  ;  and  the  next 
moment,  slipping  round  a  corner,  he  was  running  at 
full  speed  for  the  nearest  cab-stand. 

{Here,  says  my  Arabian,  the  thread  of  events  is  finally 
diverted  from  The  House  with  the  Green  Blinds. 
One  more  adventure,  he  adds,  and  we  have  done  with 
The  Rajah's  Diamond.  That  last  link  in  the  chain  is 
known  among  the  inhabitants  of  Bagdad  by  the  name  of 
The  Adventure  of  Prince  Florizel  and  a  Detec- 
tive.) 


ADVENTURE  OF  PRINCE  FLORTZEL  AND 
THE  DETECTIVE. 


Prince  Florizel  walked  with  Mr.  Rolles  to  the  door 
of  a  small  hotel  where  the  latter  resided.  They  spoke 
much  together,  and  the  clergyman  was  more  than  once 
affected  to  tears  by  the  mingled  severity  and  tender- 
ness of  Florizel's  reproach' 

"  I  have  made  ruin  of  my  life,"  he  said  at  last. 
"  Help  me;  tell  me  what  I  am  to  do;  I  have,  alas  ! 
neither  the  virtues  of  a  priest  nor  the  dexterity  of  3. 
rogue." 

"  Now  that  you  are  humbled,"  said  the  Prince,  "I 
command  no  longer;  the  repentant  have  to  do  with 
God  and  not  with  princes.  Put  if  you  will  let  me 
advise  you,  go  to  Australia  as  a  colonist,  seek  menial 
labor  in  the  open  air,  and  try  to  forget  that  you  have 
ever  been  a  clergyman,  or  that  you  ever  set  eyes  on 
that  accursed  stone." 

"  Accurst  indeed  !"  replied  Mr.  Rolles.  "  Where  is 
it  now  ?  What  further  hurt  is  it  not  working  for  man- 
kind ?" 

"  It  will  do  no  more  evil,"  returned  the  Prince.  "  It 
is  here  in  my  pocket.  And  this,"  he  added,  kindly, 
"will  show  that  I  place  some  faith  in  your  penitence, 
young  as  it  is." 

"  Suffer  me  to  touch  your  hand,"  pleaded  Mr.  Rolles. 

"No,"  replied  Prince  Florizel,  ''not  yet." 

The  tone  in  which  he  uttered  these  last  words  was 
eloquent  in  the  ears  of  the  young  clergyman  ;  and  for 
some  minutes  after  the  Prince  had  turned  away  he 
stood  on  the  threshold  following  with  his  eyes  the 
retreating  figure  and  invoking  the  blessing  of  heaven 
upon  a  man  so  excellent  in  counsel. 

For  several  hours  the  Prince  walked  alone  in  unfre- 
166 


THE  RAJAH' S  DIAMOND.  167 

quented  streets.  His  mind  was  full  of  concern;  what 
to  do  with  the  diamond,  whether  to  return  it  to  its 
owner,  whom  he  judged  unworthy  of  this  rare  posses- 
sion, or  to  take  some  sweeping  and  courageous  meas- 
ure and  put  it  out  of  the  reach  of  all  mankind  at  once 
and  for  ever  was  a  problem  too  grave  to  be  decided  in 
a  moment.  The  manner  in  which  it  had  come  into  his 
hands  appeared  manifestly  providential;  and  as  he 
took  out  the  jewel  and  looked  at  it  under  the  street 
lamps,  its  size  and  surprising  brilliancy  inclined  him 
more  and  more  to  think  of  it  as  an  unmixed  and  dan- 
gerous evil  for  the  world. 

"God  help  me!"  he  thought;  "if  I  look  at  it  much 
oftener  I  shall  begin  to  grow  covetous  myself." 

At  last,  though  still  uncertain  in  his  mind,  he  turned 
his  steps  towards  the  small  but  elegant  mansion  on  the 
riverside,  which  had  belonged  for  centuries  to  his  royal 
'amily.  The  arms  of  Bohemia  are  deeply  graved  over 
<.he  door  and  upon  the  tall  chimneys;  passengers  have 
a  look  into  a  green  court  set  with  the  most  costly 
flowers,  and  a  stork,  the  only  one  in  Paris,  perches  on 
the  gable  all  day  long  and  keeps  a  crowd  before  the 
house.  Grave  servants  are  seen  passing  to  and  fro 
within;  and  from  time  to  time  the  great  gate  is  thrown 
open  and  a  carriage  rolls  below  the  arch.  For  many 
reasons  this  residence  was  especially  dear  to  the  heart 
of  Prince  Florizel;  he  never  drew  near  to  it  without 
enjoying  that  sentiment  of  home-coming  so  rare  in  the 
lives  of  the  great;  and  on  the  present  evening  he 
beheld  its  tall  roof  and  mildly  illuminated  windows 
with  unfeigned  relief  and  satisfaction. 

As  he  was  approaching  the  postern  door  by  which 
he  always  entered  when  alone,  a  man  stepped  forth 
from  the  shadow  and  presented  himself  with  an  obei- 
sance in  the  Prince's  path. 

"  I  have  the  honor  of  addressing  Prince  Florizel  of 
Bohemia  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Such  is  my  title,"  replied  the  Prince.  "  What  do 
you  want  with  me  ? " 


ioS  UtABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"I  am,"  said  the  man,  "a  detective,  and  I  have  to 
at  your  Highness  with  this  billet  from  the  Pi 
ice." 

The  Prince  took  the  letter  and  glanced  it  through 
by  the  Light  of  the  street  lamp.  It  was  highly  apolo- 
getic, but  requested  him  to  follow  the  bearer  to  the 
Prefecture  without  delay. 

"  In  short,"  said  Florizel,  "  I  am  arrested." 

"  Your  Highness,"  replied  the  officer,  "nothing,  I 
am  certain,  could  be  further  from  the  intention  of  the 
Prefect  You  will  observe  that  he  has  not  granted  a 
warrant.  It  is  mere  formality,  or  call  it  if  you  pre- 
fer, an  obligation  that  your  Highness  lays  on  the 
authorities." 

"At  the  same  time,"  asked  the  Prince,  "if  I  were 
to  refuse  to  follow  you  ?  " 

"  I  will  not  conceal  from  your  Highness  that  a  con- 
siderable discretion  has  been  granted  me,"  replied  the 
detective  with  a  bow. 

"Upon  my  word,"  cried  Florizel,  "your  effrontery 
confounds  me  !  Yourself,  as  an  agent,  I  must  pardon  ; 
but  your  superiors  shall  dearly  smart  for  their  miscon- 
duct. What,  have  you  any  idea,  is  the  cause  of  this 
impolitic  and  unconstitutional  act  ?  You  will  observe 
that  I  have  as  yet  neither  refused  nor  consented  and 
much  may  depend  on  your  prompt  and  ingenuous 
answer.  Let  me  remind  you,  officer,  that  this  is  an 
affair  of  some  gravity." 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  detective  humbly,  "  Gen- 
eral Vandeleur  and  his  brother  have  had  the  incredi- 
ble presumption  to  accuse  you  of  theft.  The  famous 
diamond,  they  declare,  is  in  your  hands.  A  word 
from  you  in  denial  will  most  amply  satisfy  the  Prefect  ; 
nay,  I  go  farther  :  if  your  Highness  would  so  far  honor 
a  subaltern  as  to  declare  his  ignorance  of  the  matter 
even  to  myself,  I  should  ask  permission  to  retire  upon 
the  spot." 

Florizel,  up  to  the  last  moment,  had  regarded  his 
adventure   in  the   light  of  a    trifle,    only   serious   upon 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND.  169 

international  considerations.  At  the  name  of  Vande- 
leur  the  horrible  truth  broke  upon  him  in  a  moment; 
he  was  not  only  arrested,  but  he  was  guilty.  This  was 
not  only  an  annoying  incident — it  was  a  peril  to  his 
honor.  What  was  he  to  say  ?  What  was  he  to  do  ? 
The  Rajah's  Diamond  was  indeed  an  accursed  stone; 
and  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  to  be  the  last  victim  to  its 
influence. 

One  thing  was  certain.  He  could  not  give  the 
required  assurance  to  the  detective.    He  must  gain. time. 

His  hesitation  had  not  lasted  a  second. 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  he,  "  let  us  walk  together  to  the 
Prefecture." 

The  man  once  more  bowed,  and  proceeded  to  fol- 
low Florizel  at  a  respectful  distance  in  the  rear. 

"  Approach,"  said  the  Prince.  "  I  am  in  a  humor 
to  talk,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  now  I  look  at  you  again, 
this  is  not  the  first  time  that  we  have  met." 

"  I  count  it  an  honor,"  replied  the  officer,  "  that 
your  Highness  should  recollect  my  face.  It  is  eight 
years  since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  an  interview." 

"  To  remember  faces,"  returned  Florizel,  "  is  as 
much  a  part  of  my  profession  as  it  is  of  yours.  Indeed, 
rightly  looked  upon,  a  Prince  and  a  detective  serve  in 
the  same  corps.  We  are  both  combatants  against 
crime;  only  mine  is  the  more  lucrative  and  yours  the 
more  dangerous  rank,  and  there  is  a  sense  in  which 
botli  may  be  made  equally  honorable  to  a  good  man. 
I  had  rather,  strange  as  you  may  think  it,  be  a  detec- 
tive of  character  and  parts  than  a  weak  and  ignoble 
sovereign." 

The  officer  was  overwhelmed. 

"  Your  Highness  returns  good  for  evil,"  said  he. 
"To  an  act  of  presumption  he  replies  by  the  most 
amiable  condescension." 

"  How  do  you  know,"  replied  Florizel,  "that  I  am 
not  seeking  to  corrupt  you  ?" 

"  Heaven  preserve  me  from  the  temptation  !  "  cried 
the  detective. 


170  //•.s". 

"  T  applaud  your  answer,"  returned  the  Prince.  "  It 
is  that  oi  a  wise  and  honesl  man.  The  world  is  a 
great  place,  and  stocked  with  wealth  and  beauty,  and 
there  is  no  limit  to  the  rewards  that  may  be  offered. 

Such  an  one  who  would  refuse  a  million  of  money  may 
sell  his  honor  for  an  empire  or  the  love  of  a  woman; 
and  1  myself,  who  speak  to  you,  have  seen  occasions 
so  tempting,  provocations  so  irresistible  to  the  strength 

of  human  virtue,  that  I  have  been  glad  to  tread  in 
your  steps  and  recommend  myself  to  the  grace  of  ( rod. 

It  is  thus,  thanks  to  that  modest  and  becoming  habit 
alone,"  he  added,  "that  you  and  I  can  walk  this  town 
together  with  untarnished  hearts." 

"  I  had  always  heard  that  you  were  brave,"  replied 
the  officer,  "  but  I  was  not  aware  that  'you  were  wise 
and  pious.  You  speak  the  truth,  and  you  speak  it 
with  an  accent  that  moves  me  to  the  heart.  This 
world  is  indeed  a  place  of  trial." 

"  We  are  now,"  said  Florizel,  "  in  the  middle  of  the 
bridge.  Lean  your  elbows  on  the  parapet  and  look 
over.  As  the  water  rushing  below,  so  the  passions  and 
complications  of  life  carry  away  the  honesty  of  weak 
men.     Let  me  tell  you  a  story." 

"  I  receive  your  Highness's  commands,"  replied  the 
man. 

And,  imitating  the  Prince,  he  leaned  against  the 
parapet,  and  disposed  himself  to  listen.  The  city  was 
already  sunk  in  slumber;  had  it  not  been  for  the 
infinity  of  lights  and  the  outline  of  buildings  on  the 
starry  sky,  they  might  have  been  alone  beside  some 
country   river. 

"An  officer,"  began  Prince  Florizel,  "a  man  of 
courage  and  conduct,  who  had  already  risen  by  merit 
to  an  eminent  rank,  and  won  not  only  admiration  but 
respect,  visited,  in  an  unfortunate  hour  for  his  peace 
of  mind,  the  collections  of  an  Indian  Prince.  Here 
he  beheld  a  diamond  so  extraordinary  for  size  and 
beauty  that  from  that  instant  he  had  only  one  desire 
in  life:   honor,  reputation,  friendship,  the  love  of  coun- 


THE  RA  JAH'S  DIA  MOND.  1 7 1 

try,  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice  all  for  this  lump  of 
sparkling  crystal.  For  three  years  he  served  this  semi- 
barbarian  potentate  as  Jacob  served  Laban;  he  falsified 
frontiers,  he  connived  at  murders,  he  unjustly  con- 
demned and  executed  a  brother-officer  who  had  the 
misfortune  to  displease  the  Rajah  by  some  honest 
freedoms;  lastly,  at  a  time  of  great  danger  to  his  native 
land,  he  betrayed  a  body  of  his  fellow-soldiers  and 
suffered  them  to  be  defeated  and  massacred  by  thou- 
sands. In  the  end,  he  had  amassed  a  magnificent 
fortune,  and  brought  home  with  him  the  coveted 
diamond. 

"  Years  passed,"  continued  the  Prince,  "  and  at 
length  the  diamond  is  accidentally  lost.  It  falls  into 
the  hands  of  a  simple  and  laborious  youth,  a  student, 
a  minister  of  God,  just  entering  on  a  career  of  use- 
fulness and  even  distinction.  Upon  him  also  the 
spell  is  cast;  he  deserts  everything,  his  holy  calling, 
his  studies,  and  flees  with  the  gem  into  a  foreign  coun- 
try. The  officer  has  a  brother,  an  astute,  daring, 
unscrupulous  man,  who  learns  the  clergyman's  secret. 
What  does  he  do  ?  Tell  his  brother,  inform  the  police  ? 
No;  upon  this  man  also  the  Satanic  charm  has  fallen; 
he  must  have  the  stone  for  himself.  At  the  risk  of 
murder,  he  drugs  the  young  priest  and  seizes  the  prey. 
And  now,  by  an  accident  which  is  not  important-  to 
my  moral,  the  jewel  passes  out  of  his  custody  into 
that  of  another,  who,  terrified  at  what  he  sees,  gives  it 
into  the  keeping  of  a  man  in  high  station  and  above 
reproach. 

"  The  officer's  name  is  Thomas  Vandeleur,"  con- 
tinued Florizel.  "The  stone  is  called  the  Rajah's 
Diamond.  And  " — suddenly  opening  his  hand — "  you 
behold  it  here  before  your  eyes." 

The  officer  started  back  with  a  cry. 

'*  We  have  spoken  of  corruption,"  said  the  Prince. 
"  To  me  this  nugget  of  bright  crystal  is  as  loathsome 
as  though  it  were  crawling  with  the  worms  of  death;  it 
is  as  shocking  as  though  it  were  compacted  out  of  inno- 


i;:  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

cent  Mood.  I  sec  it  here  in  my  hand,  and  I  know  it 
is  shining  with  hell-fire.  I  have  told  you  but  a  hun- 
dredth part  of  its  story;  what  passed  in  former  • 
to  what  crimes  and  treacheries  it  incited  men  ofyore, 
the  imagination  trembles  to  conceive;  for  years  and 
years  it  has  faithfully  served  the'  powers  of  hell; 
enough,  I  say,  of  blood,  enough  of  disgrace,  enough  Ot 
broken  lives  and  friendships;  «all  things  come  to  an  end, 
the  evil  like  the  good;  pestilence  as  well  as  beautiful 
music;  and  as  for  this  diamond,  God  forgive  me  if  1 
do  wrong,  but  its  empire  ends  to-night." 

The  Prince  made  a  sudden  movement  with  his  hand, 
and  the  jewel,  describing  an  arc  of  light,  dived  with  a 
splash  into  the  flowing  river. 

"  Amen,"  said  Florizel,  with  gravity.  "I  have  slain 
a  cockatrice  !  " 

"God  pardon  me!"  cried  the  detective.  "What 
have  you  done  ?     I  am  a  ruined  man." 

"  I  think,"  returned  the  Prince,  with  a  smile,  "  that 
manywell-to-do  people  in  this  city  might  envy  you 
your  ruin." 

'  Alas  !  your  Highness  !  "  said  the  officer,  "  and  you 
corrupt  me  after  all  ?" 

"  It  seems  there  was  no  help  for  it,"  replied  Florizel. 
"And  now  let  us  go  forward  to  the  Prefecture." 

Not  long  after,  the  marriage  of  Francis  Scrymgeour 
and  Miss  Vandeleur  was  celebrated  in  great  privacy; 
and  the  Prince  acted  on  that  occasion  as  groom's  man. 
The  two  Vandeleurs  surprised  some  rumor  of  what 
had  happen  to  the  diamond;  and  their  vast  diving 
operations  on  the  River  Seine  are  the  wonder  and 
amusement  of  the  idle.  It  is  true  that  through  some 
ilculation  they  have  chosen  the  wrong  branch  of 
the  river.  As  for  the  Prince,  that  sublime  person, 
having  now  served  his  turn,  may  go,  along  with  the 
Arabian  Author,  topsy-turvy  into  space.  Put  if  the 
reader  insists  on  more  specific  information,  I  am  happy 
to  say  that  a  recent  revolution  hurled  him  from  the 


THE  RA  JAH'S  DIA  MOND.  1 7  3 

throne  of  Bohemia,  in  consequence  of  his  continued 
absence  and  edifying  neglect  of  public  business;  and 
that  his  Highness  now  keeps  a  cigar  store  in  Rupert 
Street,  much  frequented  by  other  foreign  refugees. 
I  go  there  from  time  to  time  to  smoke  and  have  a 
chat,  and  find  him  as  great  a  creature  as  in  the  days  of 
his  prosperity;  he  has  an  Olympian  air  behind  the 
counter;  and  although  a  sedentary  life  is  beginning  to 
tell  upon  his  waistcoat,  he  is  probably,  take  him  for  all 
in  all,  the  handsomest  tobacconist  in  London. 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS. 

INSCRIBED   TO 

D.  A.   S. 

IN  MEMORY  OF  DA  YS  NEAR  FIDRA. 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TELLS  HOW  I  CAMPED    IN    GRADEN  SEA-WOOD,  AND   BE- 
HELD A  LIGHT    IN  THE    PAVILION. 

I  WAS  a  great  solitary  when  I  was  young.  I  made 
it  my  pride  to  keep  aloof  and  suffice  for  my 
own  entertainment ;  and  I  may  say  that  I  had  neither 
friends  nor  acquaintances  until  I  met  that  friend  who 
became  my  wife  and  the  mother  of  my  children.  With 
one  man  only  was  I  on  private  terms  ;  this  was  R. 
Northmour,  Esquire,  of  Graden  Easter,  in  Scotland. 
We  had  met  at  college  ;  and  though  there  was  not 
much  liking  between  us,  nor  even  much  intimacy,  we 
were  so  nearly  of  a  humor  that  we  could  associate  with 
ease  to  both.  Misanthropes,  we  believed  ourselves  to 
be  ;  but  I  have  thought  since  that  we  were  only  sulky 
fellows.  It  was  scarcely  a  companionship,  but  a 
coexistence  in  unsociability.  Northmour's  exceptional 
violence  of  temper  made  it  no  easy  affair  for  him  to 
keep  the  peace  with  anyone  but  me  ;  and  as  he  res- 
pected by  silent  ways,  and  let  me  come  and  go  as  I 
pleased,  I  could  tolerate  his  presence  without  concern. 
I  think  we  called  each  other  friends. 

When  Northmour  took  his  degree  and  I  decided  to 
leave  the  university  without  one,  he  invited  me  on  a 
long  visit  to  Graden  Easter  ;  and  it  was  thus  that  I 
first  became  acquainted  with  the  scene  of  my  adven- 
tures. The  mansion  house  of  Graden  stood  in  a  bleak 
stretch  of  country  some  three  miles  from  the  shore  of 
the  German  Ocean.  It  was  as  large  as  a  barrack  ;  and 
as  it  had  been  built  of  a  soft  stone,  liable  to  consume 
177 


i ;  8  NE  II  '  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

in  t lie  eager  air  of  the  seaside,  it  was  damp  and 
draughty  within  and  half  ruinous  without.  It  was 
impossible  for  two  young  men  to  lodge  with  comfort  in 
such  a  dwelling.  But  there  stood  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  estate,  in  a  wilderness  of  links  and  blowing  sand- 
hills, and  between  a  plantation  and  the  sea,  a  small 
Pavilion  or  Belvedere,  of  modern  design,  which  was 
tly  suited  to  our  wants  ;  ami  in  this  hermitage, 
speaking  little,  reading  much,  and  rarely  associating 
except  at  meals,  Xorthmour  and  I  spent  four  tempes- 
tuous winter  months.  I  might  have  stayed  longer  ; 
but  one  March  night  there  sprang  up  between  us  a  dis- 
pute, which  rendered  my  departure  necessary.  North- 
mour  spoke  hotly,  I  remember,  and  I  suppose  I  must 
have  made  some  tart  rejoinder.  He  leaped  from  his 
chair  and  grappled  me  ;  I  had  to  fight,  without  exag- 
geration, for  my  life  ;  and  it  was  only  with  a  great 
effort  that  I  mastered  him,  for  he  was  near  as  strong 
in  body  as  myself,  and  seemed  filled  with  the  devil. 
The  next  morning,  we  met  on  our  usual  terms  ;  but  1 
judged  it  more  delicate  to  withdraw  ;  nor  did  he 
attempt  to  dissuade  me. 

It  was  nine  years  before  I  revisited  the  neighbor- 
hood. I  traveled  at  thac  time  with  a  tilt  cart,  a  tent, 
and  a  cooking-stove,  tramping  all  day  beside  the  wag- 
on, and  at  night,  whenever  it  was  possible,  gipsying  in 
a  cove  of  the  hills,  or  by  the  side  of  a  wood.  I  believe 
I  visited  in  this  manner  most  of  the  wild  and  desolate 
regions  both  in  England  and  Scotland  ;  and,  as  I  had 
neither  friends  nor  relations,  I  was  troubled  with  no 
correspondence,  and  had  nothing  in  the  nature  of 
head-quarters,  unless  it  was  the  office  of  my  solicitors, 
from  whom  I  drew  my  income  twice  a  year.  It  was  a 
life  in  which  I  delighted  ;  and  I  fully  thought  to  have 
grown  old  upon  the  march,  and  at  last  died  in  a  ditch. 

It  was  my  whole  business  to  find  desolate  corners,' 
where  I  could  camp  without  the  fear  of  interruption  ; 
and  hence  being  in  another  part  of  the  same  shire,  I 
bethought  me  suddenly  of  the  Pavilion  on  the  Links. 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  179 

No  thoroughfare  passed  within  three  miles  of  it.  The 
nearest  town,  and  that  was  but  a  fisher  village,  was  at 
a  distance  of  six  or  seven.  For  ten  miles  of  length, 
and  from  a  depth  varying  from  three  miles  to  half  a 
mile,  this  belt  of  barren  country  lay  along  the  sea. 
The  beach,  which  was  the  natural  approach,  was  full 
of  quicksands.  Indeed  I  may  say  there  is  hardly  a 
better  place  of  concealment  in  the  United  Kingdom. 
I  determined  to  pass  a  week  in  the  Sea- Wood  of  Gra- 
den- Easter,  and  making  a  long  stage,  reached  it  about 
sundown  on  a  wild  September  day. 

The  country,  I  have  said,  was  mixed  sand-hill  and 
links  ;  links  being  a  Scottish  name  for  sand  which  has 
ceased  drifting  and  become  more  or  less  solidly  covered 
with  turf.  The  pavilion  stood  on  an  even  space  ,  a 
little  behind  it,  the  wood  began  in  a  hedge  of  elders 
huddled  together  by  the  wind  ;  in  front,  a  few  tumbled 
sand-hills  stood  between  it  and  the  sea.  An  outcrop- 
ping of  rock  had  formed  a  bastion  for  the  sand,  so  that 
there  was  here  a  promontory  in  the  coast-line  between 
two  shallow  bays  :  and  just  beyond  the  tides,  the  rock 
again  cropped  out  and  formed  an  islet  of  small  dimen- 
sions but  strikingly  designed.  The  quicksands  were 
of  great  extent  at  low  water,  and  had  an  infamous 
reputation  in  the  country.  Close  in  shore,  between  the 
islet  and  the  promontory,  it  was  said  that  they  would 
swallow  a  man  in  four  minutes  and  a  half  ;  but  there 
may  have  been  little  ground  for  this  precision.  The 
district  was  alive  with  rabbits,  and  haunted  by  gulls 
which  made  a  continual  piping  about  the  pavilion. 
On  summer  days  the  outlook  was  bright  and  even 
gladsome  ;  but  at  sundown  in  September,  with  a  high 
wind,  and  a  heavy  surf  rolling  in  close  along  the  links, 
the  place  told  of  nothing  but  dead  mariners  and  sea 
disasters.  A  ship  beating  to  windward  on  the  horizon, 
and  a  huge  truncheon  of  wreck  half  buried  in  the 
sands  at  my  feet,  completed  the  innuendo  of  the  scene. 

The  pavilion — it  had  been  built  by  the  last  proprie- 
tor, Northmour's  uncle,  a  silly  and  prodigal  virtuoso — 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

presented  little  signs  of  age.  It  was  two  stories  in 
height,  Italian  in  design,  surrounded  by  a  patch  of 
g  irden  in  which  nothing  had  prospered  hut  a  irw  coarse 

flowers;  and  looked,  with  its  shuttered  windows,  not 
like  a  house  that  had  been  deserted,  hut  like  one  that 
had   never   been  tenanted   by  man.     Northmour   was 

plainly  from  home;  whether,  as  usual,  sulking  in  the 
a  of  his  yacht,  or  in  one  of  his  fitful  and  cxtrava- 
gant  appearances  in  the  world  of  society,  I  had,  of 
course,  no  means  of  guessing.  The  place  had  an  air 
of  solitude  that  daunted  even  a  solitary  like  myself; 
the  wind  cried  in  the  chimneys  with  a  strange  and 
wailing  note  ;  and  it  was  with  a  sense  of  escape,  as  if 
I  were  going  indoors,  that  I  turned  away  and  driving 
my  cart  hefore  me  entered  the  skirts  of  the  wood. 

The  Sea-Wood  of  Graden  had  been  planted  to  shel- 
ter the  cultivated  fields  behind,  and  check  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  blowing  sand.  As  you  advanced  into  it 
from  coastward,  elders  were  succeeded  by  other  hardy 
shrubs  ;  but  the  timber  was  all  stunted  and  bushy  ;  it 
led  a  life  of  conflict  ;  the  trees  were  accustomed  to 
swing  there  all  night  long  in  fierce  winter  tempests;  and 
even  in  early  spring,  the  leaves  were  already  flying,  and 
autumn  was  beginning,  in  this  exposed  plantation. 
Inland  the  ground  rose  into  a  little  hill,  which,  along 
with  the  islet,  served  as  a  sailing  mark  for  seamen. 
When  the  hill  was  open  of  the  islet  to  the  north,  ves- 
sels must  bear  well  to  the  eastward  to  clear  Graden 
Ness  and  the  Graden  Bullers.  In  the  lower  ground,  a 
streamlet  ran  among  the  trees,  and,  being  dammed 
with  dead  leaves  and  clay  of  its  own  carrying,  spread 
out  every  here  and  there,  and  lay  in  stagnant  pools. 
One  or  two  ruined  cottages  were  dotted  about  the 
1  ;  and,  according  to  Northmour,  these  were  eccle- 
siastical foundations,  and  in  their  time  had  sheltered 
hermits. 

I  found  a  den,  or  small  hollow,  where  there  was  a 
spring  of  pure  water;  and  there,  clearing  away  the 
brambles,  I   pitched   the  tent,  and  made  a  lire  to  cook 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  181 

my  supper-  My  horse  I  picketed  farther  in  the  wood 
where  there  was  a  patch  of  sward.  The  banks  of  the 
den  not  only  concealed  the  light  of  my  fire,  but 
sheltered  me  from  the  wind,  which  was  cold  as  well  as 
high. 

The  life  I  was  leading  made  me  both  hardy  and 
frugal.  I  never  drank  but  water,  and  rarely  ate  any- 
thing more  costly  than  oatmeal  ;  and  I  required  so 
little  sleep,  that,  although  I  rose  with  the  peep  of  day, 
I  would  often  lie  long  awake  in  the  dark  or  starry 
watches  of  the  night.  Thus  in  Graden  Sea-Wood, 
although  I  fell  thankfully  asleep  by  eight  in  the  even- 
ing I  was  awake  again  before  eleven  with  a  full  posses- 
sion of  my  faculties,  and  no  sense  of  drowsiness  or 
fatigue.  I  rose  and  sat  by  the  fire,  watching  the  trees 
and  clouds  tumultuously  tossing  and  fleeing  overhead, 
and  hearkening  to  the  wind  and  rollers  along  the 
shore;  till  at  length,  growing  weary  of  inaction,  I  quitted 
the  den,  and  strolled  towards  the  borders  of  the  wood. 
A  young  moon,  buried  in  mist,  gave  a  faint  illumination 
to  my  steps;  and  the  light  grew  brighter  as  I  walked 
forth  into  the  links.  At  the  same  moment,  the  wind, 
smelling  salt  of  the  open  ocean  and  carrying  particles 
of  sand,  struck  me  with  its  full  force,  so  that  I  had  to 
bow  my  head. 

When  I  raised  it  again  to  look  about  me,  I  was  aware 
of  a  light  in  the  pavilion.  It  was  not  stationary;  but 
passed  from  one  window  to  another,  as  though  some 
one  were  reviewing  the  different  apartments  with  a 
lamp  or  candle.  I  watched  it  for  some  seconds  in 
great  surprise.  When  I  had  arrived  in  the  afternoon 
the  house  had  been  plainly  deserted  ;  now  it  was  as 
plainly  occupied.  It  was  my  first  idea  that  a  gang  of 
thieves  might  have  broken  in  and  be  now  ransacking 
Northmour's  cupboards,  which  were  many  and  not  ill 
supplied.  But  what  should  bring  thieves  to  Graden 
Easter  ?  And,  again,  all  the  shutters  had  been  thrown 
open,  and  it  would  have  been  more  in  the  character  of 
such  gentry  to  close  them.     I  dismissed  the   notion, 


,$2  Nl  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

and  fell  back  upon  another.  Northmour himself  must 
have  arrived,  and  was  now  airing  and  inspecting  the 
pavilion. 

I  have  said  that  there  was  no  real  affe<  tion  between 
this  man  and  me;  but,  had  I  loved  him  like  a  brother, 
I  was  then  so  much  in  love  with  solitude  that  I  should 
none  the  less  have  shunned  his  company.  As  it  was, 
I  turned  and  ran  for  it;  and  it  was  with  genuine  satis- 
fa<  tion  that  I  found  myself  safely  back  beside  the  fire. 
I  had  escaped  an  acquaintance;  I  should  have  one 
more  night  in  comfort.  In  the  morning,  I  might  either 
slip  away  before  Northmour  was  abroad,  or  pay  him  as 
short  a  visit  as  I  chose. 

But  when  morning  came,  I  thought  the  situation  so 
diverting  that  I  forgot  my  shyness.  Northmour  was 
at  my  mercy;  I  arranged  a  good  practical  jest,  though 
I  knew  well  that  my  neighbor  was  not  the  man  to  jest 
with  in  security;  and,  chuckling  beforehand  over  its 
success,  took  my  place  among  the  elders  at  the  edge  of 
the  wood,  whence  I  could  command  the  door  of  the 
pavilion.  The  shutters  were  all  once  more  closed, 
which  I  remember  thinking  odd;  and  the  house,  with 
its  white  walls  and  green  Venetians,  looked  spruce  and 
habitable  in  the  morning  light.  Hour  after  hour 
passed,  and  still  no  sign  of  Northmour.  I  knew  him 
for  a  sluggard  in  the  morning;  but,  as  it  drew  on 
towards  noon,  I  lost  my  patience.  To  say  the  truth, 
I  had  promised  myself  to  break  my  fast  in  the  pavil- 
ion, and  hunger  began  to  prick  me  sharply.  It  was  a 
pity  to  let  the  opportunity  go  by  without  some  cause 
for  mirth;  but  the  grosser  appetite  prevailed,  and  I 
relinquished  my  jest  with  regret,  and  sallied  from  the 
wood. 

The  appearance  of  the  house  affected  me,  as  I  drew 
near,  with  disquietude.  It  seemed  unchanged  since 
last  evening;  and  I  had  expected  it,  I  scarce  knew 
why,  to  wear  some  external  signs  of  habitation.  But 
no:  the  windows  were  all  closely  shuttered,  the  chim- 
neys breathed  no  smoke,  and  the  front  door  itself  was 


THE  PA  VI LION  ON  THE  LINKS.  183 

closely  padlocked.  Northmour,  therefore,  had  entered 
by  the  back;  this  was  the  natural,  and,  indeed,  the 
necessary  conclusion;  and  you  may  judge  of  my  sur- 
prise when,  on  turning  the  house,  I  found  the  back 
door  similarly  secured. 

My  mind  at  once  reverted  to  the  original  theory  of 
thieves;  and  I  blamed  myself  sharply  for  my  last 
night's  inaction.  I  examined  all  the  windows  on  the 
lower  story,  but  none  of  them  had  been  tampered  with; 
I  tried  the  padlocks,  but  they  were  both  secure.  It 
thus  became  a  problem  how  the  thieves,  if  thieves  they 
were,  had  managed  to  enter  the  house.  They  must 
have  got,  I  reasoned,  upon  the  roof  of  the  outhouse 
where  Northmour  used  to  keep  his  photographic  bat- 
tery; and  from  thence,  either  by  the  window  of  the 
study  or  that  of  my  old  bedroom,  completed  their  bur- 
glarious entry. 

I  followed  what  I  supposed  was  their  example;  and, 
getting  on  the  roof,  tried  the  shutters  of  each  room. 
Both  were  secure;  but  I  was  not  to  be  beaten;  and, 
with  a  little  force,  one  of  them  flew  open,  grazing,  as  it 
did  so,  the  back  of  my  hand.  I  remember,  I  put  the 
wound  to  my  mouth,  and  stood  for  perhaps  half  a  min- 
ute licking  it  like  a  dog,  and  mechanically  gazing 
behind  me  over  the  waste  links  and  the  sea;  and,  in 
that  space  of  time,  my  eye  made  note  of  a  large 
schooner  yacht  some  miles  to  the  north-east.  Then  I 
threw  up  the  window  and  climbed  in. 

I  went  over  the  house,  and  nothing  can  express  my 
mystification.  There  was  no  sign  of  disorder,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  the  rooms  were  unusually  clean  and  pleas- 
ant. I  found  fires  laid,  ready  for  lighting;  three  bed 
rooms  prepared  with  a  luxury  quite  foreign  to  North- 
mour's  habits,  and  with  water  in  the  ewers  and  the  beds 
turned  down;  a  table  set  for  three  in  the  dining-room; 
and  an  ample  supply  of  cold  meats,  game  and  vegeta- 
bles on  the  pantry  shelves.  There  were  guests 
expected,  that  was  plain;  but  why  guests,  when  North- 
mour hated  society  ?      And,  above   all,  why  was  the 


iS|  N£  //•  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

house  thus  stealthily  prepared  at  dead  of  night?   and 
why  wort.-  the  shutters  closed  and  the  doors  padlocked  ? 
I  effaced  all  traces  of  my  visit,  and  came  forth  from 
the  window  feeling  sobered  and  concerned. 

The  schooner  yacht  was  still  in  the  same  place;  and 
it  Bashed  for  a  moment  through  my  mind  that  this 
might  be  the  Red  Earl  bringing  the  owner  of  the 
pavilion  and  his  guests.  But  the  vessel's  head  was  set 
the  other  way. 


CHAPTER  II. 

TELLS  OF  THE  NOCTURNAL  LANDING  FROM  THE  YACHT. 

I  returned  to  the  den  to  cook  myself  a  meal,  of 
which  I  stood  in  great  need,  as  well  as  to  care  for  my 
horse,  whom  I  had  somewhat  neglected  in  the  morning. 
From  time  to  time  I  went  down  to  the  edge  of  the 
wood  ;  but  there  was  no  change  in  the  pavilion,  and 
not  a  human  creature  was -seen  all  day  upon  the  links. 
The  schooner  in  the  offing  was  the  one  touch  of  life 
within  my  range  of  vision.  She,  apparently  with  no 
set  object,  stood  off  and  on  or  lay  to,  hour  after  hour  ; 
but  as  the  evening  deepened,  she  drew  steadily  nearer. 
I  became  more  convinced  that  she  carried  Northmour 
and  his  friends,  and  that  they  would  probably  come 
ashore  after  dark  ;  not  only  because  that  was  of  a  piece 
with  the  secresy  of  the  preparations,  but  because  the 
tide  would  not  have  flowed  sufficiently  before  eleven  to 
cover  Graden  Floe  and  the  other  sea  quags  that  fortified 
the  shore  against  invaders. 

All  day  the  wind  had  been  going  down,  and  the  sea 
along  with  it  ;  but  there  was  a  return  towards  sunset  of 
the  heavy  weather  of  the  day  before.  The  night  set  in 
pitch  dark.  The  wind  came  off  the  sea  in  squalls,  like 
the  firing  of  a  battery  of  cannon  ;  now  and  then  there 
was  a  flaw  of  rain,  and  the  surf  rolled  heavier  with  the 
rising  tide.  I  was  down  at  my  observatory  among  the 
elders,  when  a  light  was  run  up  to  the  masthead  of  the 
schooner,  and  showed  she  was  closer  in  than  when 
I  had  last  seen  her  by  the  dying  daylight.  I  concluded 
that  this  must  be  a  signal  to  Northmour's  associates  on 
shore;  and,  stepping  forth  into  the  links,  looked  around 
me  for  something  in  response. 

A  small  footpath  ran  along  the  margin  of  the  wood, 
and  formed  the  most   direct  communication  between 


iS6  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

the  pavilion  and  the  mansion  house  ;  and,  as  least  my 
eyes  to  that  side,  I  saw  a  spark  of  light,  not  a  quarter 

mile  away,  ami  rapidly  approaching.  From  its 
uneven  course  it  appeared  to  be  the  light  of  a  lantern 
carried  by  a  person  who  followed  the  windings  of  the 
path,  and  was  often  Staggered  and  taken  aback  by  the 
more  violent  squalls.  1  concealed  myself  once  more 
among  the  elders,  and  waited  eag  Hv  for  the  new 
comer's  advance.  It  proved  to  be  a  woman  ;  and,  as 
she  passed  within  half  a  rod  of  my  ambush,  I  was  able 
to  recognize  the  features.  The  deaf  and  silent  old 
dame,  who  had  nursed  Northmourin  his  childhood,  was 
his  associate  in  this  underhand  affair. 

I  followed  her  at  a  little  distance;  taking  advantage 
of  the  innumerable  heights  and  hollows,  concealed  by 
the  darkness,  and  favored  not  only  by  the  nurse's  deaf- 
ness, but  the  uproarof  the  wind  and  surf.  Sheentered 
the  pavilion,  and,  going  at  once  to  the  upper  story, 
opened  and  set  a  light  in  one  of  t'he  windows  that  looked 
towards  the  sea.  Immediately  afterwards  the  light  at 
the  schooner's  masthead  was  run  down  and  extin- 
guished. Its  purpose  had  been  attained,  and  those  on 
board  were  sure  that  they  were  expected.  The  old 
woman  resumed  her  preparations  ;  although  the  other 
shutters  remained  closed,  I  could  see  a  glimmer  going 
to  and  fro  about  the  house  ;  and  a  gush  of  sparks  from 
one  chimney  after  another  soon  told  me  that  the  fires 
were  being  kindled. 

Northmour  and  his  guests,  I  was  now  persuaded, 
would  come  ashore  as  soon  as  there  was  water  on  the 
floe.  It  was  a  wild  night  for  boat  service;  and  I  felt  some 
alarm  mingle  with  my  curiosity  as  I  reflected  on  the 
danger  of  the  landing.  My  old  acquaintance,  it  was 
true,  was  the  most  eccentric  of  men  ;  but  the  present 
eccentricity  was  both  disquieting  and  lugubrious  to 
consider.  A  variety  of  feelings  thus  led  me  towards 
the  beach,  where  I  lay  flat  on  my  face  in  a  hollow  with- 
in six  feet  of  the  track  that  led  to  the  pavilion. 
Thence,  I  should  have  the  satisfaction  of  recognizing 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  187 

the  arrivals,  and,  if  they  should  prove  to  be  acquaint- 
ances, greeting  them  as  soon  as  they  had  landed. 

Some  time  before  eleven,  while  the  tide  was  still 
dangerously  low,  a  boat's  lantern  appeared  close  in 
shore  ;  and,  my  attention  being  thus  awakened,  I  could 
perceive  another  still  far  to  seaward,  violently  tossed, 
and  sometimes  hidden  by  the  billows.  The  weather, 
which  was  getting  dirtier  as  the  night  went  on,  and  the 
perilous  situation  of  the  yacht  upon  a  lee-shore,  had 
probably  driven  them  to  attempt  a  landing  at  the  ear- 
liest possible  moment. 

A  little  afterwards,  four  yachtsmen  carrying  a  very 
heavy  chest,  and  guided  by  a  fifth  with  a  lantern,  passed 
close  in  front  of  me  as  I  lay,  and  were  admitted  to  the 
pavilion  by  the  nurse.  They  returned  to  the  beach,  and 
passed  me  a  third  time  with  another  chest,  larger  but 
apparently  not  so  heavy  as  the  first.  A  third  time  they 
made  the  transit ;  and  on  this  occasion  one  of  the 
yachtsmen  carried  a  leather  portmanteau,  and  the  others 
a  lady's  trunk  and  carriage  bag.  My  curiosity  was 
sharply  excited.  If  a  woman  were  among  the  guests 
of  Northmour,  it  would  show  a  change  in  his  habits  and 
an  apostasy  from  his  pet  theories  of  life,  well  calculated 
to  fill  me  with  surprise.  When  he  and  I  dwelt  there 
together,  the  pavilion  had  been  a  temple  of  misogyny. 
And  now,  one  of  the  detested  sex  was  to  be  installed 
under  its  roof.  I  remembered  one  or  two  particulars, 
a  few  notes  of  daintiness  and  almost  of  coquetry  which 
had  struck  me  the  day  before  as  I  surveyed  the  prepa- 
rations in  the  house  ;  their  purpose  was  now  clear,  and 
I  thought  myself  dull  not  to  have  perceived  it  from  the 
first. 

While  I  was  thus  reflecting  a  second  lantern  drew 
near  me  from  the  beach.  It  was  carried  by  a  yachts- 
man whom  I  had  not  yet  seen,  and  who  was  conduct- 
ing two  other  persons  to  the  pavilion.  These  two 
persons  were  unquestionably  the  guests  for  whom 
the  house  was  made  ready;  and,  straining  eye  and 
car,  I  set  myself  to  watch  them  as  they  passed.     One 


iSS  .w  W  AJtAl  IAN  h  h  UTS. 

was  an  unusually  tall  man.  in  a  trawling  hat  slou<  d 
over  his  eyes,  and  a  highland  cape  closely  buttoned 
and  turned  up  so  as  to  conceal  his  face.  You  could 
make  out  no  more  of  him  than  that  he  was,  as  I  have 
said,  unusually  tall,  and  walked  feebly  with  a  heavy 
stoop.  By  his  side,  and  either  clinging  to  him  or  giv- 
ing him  support — 1  could  not  make  out  which — was  a 
young,  tall,  and  slender  figure  of  a  woman.  She  was 
extremely  pale;  but  in  the  light  of  the  lantern  her  face 
was  so  marred  by  strong  and  changing  shadows,  that 
she  might  equally  well  have  been  as  ugly  as  sin  or  as 
beautiful  as  I  afterwards  found  her  to  be. 

When  they  were  just  abreast  of  me,  the  girl  made 
some  remark  which  was  drowned  by  the  noise  of  the 
wind. 

"  Hush!  "  said  her  companion;  and  there  was  some- 
thing in  the  tone  with  which  the  word  was  uttered 
that  thrilled  and  rather  shook  my  spirits.  It  seemed 
to  breathe  from  a  bosom  laboring  under  the  deadliest 
terror;  I  have  never  heard  another  syllable  so  express- 
ive; and  I  still  hear  it  again  when  I  am  feverish  at 
night,  and  my  mind  runs  upon  old  times.  The  man 
turned  towards  the  girl  as  he  spoke;  I  had  a  glimpse 
of  much  red  beard  and  a  nose  which  seemed  to  have 
been  broken  in  youth;  and  his  light  eyes  seemed 
shining  in  his  face  with  some  strong  and  unpleasant 
emotion. 

But  these  two  passed  on  and  were  admitted  in  their 
turn  to  the  pavilion. 

One  by  one,  or  in  groups,  the  seamen  returned  to 

the   beach.     The   wind   brought    me    the  sound  of    a 

crying,  "Shove    off!"      Then,  after    a 

pause,  another  lantern  drew  near.     It  was  Northmour 

alone. 

My  wife  and  I,  a  man  and  a  woman,  have  often 
agreed  to  wonder  how  a  person  could  be,  at  the  same 
time,  so  handsome  and  so  repulsive  as  Northmour. 
He  had  the  appearance  of  a  finished  gentleman;  his 
face  bore  every  mark  of  intelligence  and  courage,  but 


THE  PA  VILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  l8g 

you  had  only  to  look  at  him,  even  in  his  most  amiable 
moment,  to  see  that  he  had  the  temper  of  a  slave  cap- 
tain. I  never  knew  a  character  that  was  both  explos- 
ive and  revengeful  to  the  same  degree;  he  combined 
the  vivacity  of  the  south  with  the  sustained  and  deadly 
hatreds  of  the  north;  and  both  traits  were  plainly 
written  on  his  face,  which  was  a  sort  of  danger  signal. 
In  person  he  was  tall,  strong,  and  active;  his  hair  and 
complexion  very  dark;  his  features  handsomely 
designed,  but  spoiled  by  a  menacing  expression. 

At  that  moment  he  was  somewhat  paler  than  by 
nature;  he  wore  a  heavy  frown;  and  his  lips  worked, 
and  he  looked  sharply  round  as  he  walked,  like  a  man 
besieged  with  apprehensions.  And  yet  I  thought  he 
had  a  look  of  triumph  underlying  all,  as  though  he  had 
already  done  much,  and  was  near  the  end  of  an 
achievement. 

Partly  from  a  scruple  of  delicacy — which  I  dare  say 
came  too  late — partly  from  the  pleasure  of  startling  an 
acquaintance,  I  desired  to  make  my  presence  known 
to  him  without  delay. 

I  got  suddenly  to  my  feet,  and  stepped  forward. 

"  Northmour  !  "  said  I. 

I  have  never  had  so  shocking  a  surprise  in  all  my 
days.  He  leaped  on  me  without  a  word;  something 
shone  in  his  hand;  and  he  struck  for  my  heart  with  a 
dagger.  At  the  same  moment  I  knocked  him  head 
over  heels.  Whether  it  was  my  quickness,  or  his  own 
uncertainty,  I  know  not;  but  the  blade  only  grazed  my 
shoulder  while  the  hilt  and  his  fist  struck  me  violently 
on  the  mouth. 

I  fled,  but  not  far.  I  had  often  and  often  observed 
the  capabilities  of  the  sand-hills  for  protracted  ambush 
or  stealthy  advances  and  retreats;  and,  not  ten  yards 
from  the  scene  of  the  scuffle,  plumped  down  again 
upon  the  grass.  The  lantern  had  fallen  and  gone  out. 
But  what  was  my  astonishment  to  see  Northmour  slip 
at  a  bound  into  the  pavilion,  and  hear  him  bar  the 
door  behind  him  with  a  clang  of  iron! 


i  QO  NE II'  .  I  A',  l  /•'/.  /  N  NIGH  TS. 

He  had  not  pursued  roe.  He  had  runaway.  North- 
mour,  whom  I  knew  t'«  >r  the  most  implacable  and  dar- 
ing 01  men,  had  run  away!  I  could  scarce  believe  my 
a;  and  yet  in  this  strange  business,  where  all  was 
incredible,  there  was  nothing  to  make  a  work  about  in 
an  incredibility  more  or  less.  For  why  was  the  pavilion 
se<  retly  prepared  ?     Why  had  Northmour  landed  with 

\  lests  at  dead  of  night,  in  half  a  gale  of  wind,  and 
with  the  floe  -  »vered  ?     Why  had  he  sought  to 

kill  me  ?     Had  lie  not  recognized   my   voice  ?  I   won- 
dered.    And,  above  all,  how  had  he  come  to  have  a 

ger  ready  in  his  hand  ?  A  dagger,  or  even  a  sharp 
knife,  seemed  out  of  keeping  with  the  age  in  which  we 
lived;  and  a  gentleman  landing  from  his  yacht  on  the 
shore  of  his  own  estate,  even  although  it  was  at  night 
and  with  some  mysterious  circumstances,  docs  not 
usually,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  walk  thus  prepared  for 
deadly  onslaught.  The  more  I  reflected,  the  further  I 
felt  at  sea.  I  recapitulated  the  elements  of  mystery, 
counting  them  on  my  fingers:  the  pavilion  secretly 
prepared  for  guests;  the  guests  landed  at  the  risk  of 
their  lives  and  to  the  imminent  peril  of  the  yacht;  the 
guests,  or  at  least  one  of  them,  in  undisguised  and 
seemingly  causeless  terror;  Northmour  with  a  naked 
weapon;  Northmour  stabbing  his  most  intimate  ac- 
quaintance at  a  word  ;  last,  and  not  least  strange, 
Northmour  fleeing  from  the  man  whom  he  had  sought 
to  murder,  and  barricading  himself,  like  a  hunted 
creature,  behind  the  door  of  the  pavilion.  Here  were 
at  least  six  separate  causes  for  extreme  surprise;  each 
part  and  parcel  with  the  others,  and  forming  all  to- 
gether one  consistent  story.  I  felt  almost  ashamed 
to  believe  my  own  senses. 

I  thus  stood  transfixed  with  wonder,  I  began  to 
grow  painfully  conscious  of  the  injuries  I  had  received 
in  the  scuffle;  skulked  round  among  the  sand-hills; 
and,  by  a  devious  path,  regained  the  shelter  of  the 
wood.  On  the  way,  the  old  nurse  passed  again  within 
rai  yards  of  me,  still  carrying  her  lantern,  on  the 


THE  PA  VI LION  ON  THE  LINKS.  191 

return  journey  to  the  mansion-house  of  Graden.  This 
made  a  seventh  suspicious  feature  in  the  case.  North- 
raour  and  his  guests,  it  appeared,  were  to  cook  and  do 
the  cleaning  for  themselves,  while  the  old  woman  con- 
tinued to  inhabit  the  big  empty  barrack  among  the 
policies.  There  must  surely  be  great  cause  for 
secresy,  when  so  many  inconveniences  were  confronted 
to  preserve  it. 

So  thinking,  I  made  my  way  to  the  den.  For 
greater  security,  I  trod  out  the  embers  of  the  fire,  and 
lit  my  lantern  to  examine  the  wound  upon  my  shoul- 
der. It  was  a  trifling  hurt,  although  it  bled  somewhat 
freely,  and  I  dressed  it  as  well  as  I  could  (for  its 
position  made  it  difficult  to  reach)  with  some  rag  and 
cold  water  from  the  spring.  While  I  was  thus  busied, 
I  mentally  declared  war  against  Northmour  and  his 
mystery.  I  am  not  an  angry  man  by  nature,  and  I 
believe  there  was  more  curiosity  than  resentment  in 
my  heart.  But  war  I  certainly  declared;  and,  by  way 
of  preparation,  I  got  out  my  revolver,  and,  having 
drawn  the  charges,  cleaned  and  reloaded  it  with  scru- 
pulous care.  Next  I  became  preoccupied  about  my 
horse.  It  might  break  loose,  or  fall  to  neighing,  and 
so  betray  my  camp  in  the  Sea-Wood.  I  determined 
to  rid  myself  of  its  neighborhood;  and  long  before 
dawn  I  was  leading  it  over  the  links  in  the  direction 
oi  ths*  fisher  village. 


CHAPTER   III. 

TELLS  HOW  i  in  ami.  ACQUAINTED  WITH  MY  WIFE. 

F>>r  two  days  I  skulked  round  the  pavilion,  profiting 
by  the  uneven  surface  of  the  links.  I  became  an 
adept  in  the  necessary  tactics.  These  low  hillocks  and 
shallow  dells,  running  one  into  another,  became  a  kind 
of  cloak  of  darkness  for  my  enthralling,  but  perhaps 
dishonorable,  pursuit.  Yet,  in  spite  of  this  advantage, 
I  could  learn  but  little  of  Northmour  or  his  guests. 

Fresh  provisions  were  brought  under  cover  of  dark- 
ness by  the  old  woman  from  the  mansion-house. 
Northmour,  and  the  young  lady,  sometimes  together, 
but  more  often  singly,  would  walk  for  an  hour  or  two 
at  a  time  on  the  beach  beside  the  cpuicksand.  I  could 
not  but  conclude  that  this  promenade  was  chosen  with 
an  eye  to  secresy:  for  the  spot  was  open  only  to  the 
seaward.  But  it  suited  me  not  less  excellently;  the 
highest  and  most  accidented  of  the  sand-hills  immedi- 
ately adjoined;  and  from  these,  lying  flat  in  a  hollow, 
I  could  overlook  Northmour  or  the  young  lady  as  they 
walked. 

The  tall  man  seemed  to  have  disappeared.  Not 
only  did  he  never  cross  the  threshold,  but  he  never  so 
mu<  h  as  showed  face  at  a  window;  or,  at  least,  not 
so  far  as  I  could  see;  for  I  dared  not  creep  forward 
beyond  a  certain  distance  in  the  day,  since  the  upper 
floor  commanded  the  bottoms  of  the  links;  and  at 
night,  when  I  could  venture  farther,  the  lower  windows 
were  barricaded  as  if  to  stand  a  siege.  Sometimes  I 
thought  the  tall  man  must  be  confined  to  bed,  for  I 
remembered  the  feebleness  of  his  gait;  and  sometimes 
I  thought  he  must  have  gone  clear  away,  and  that 
Northmour  and  the  young  lady  remained  alone 
192 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  1 93 

together  in  the  pavilion.  The  idea,  even  then,  dis- 
pleased me. 

Whether  or  not  this  pair  were  man  and  wife,  I  had 
seen  abundant  reason  to  doubt  the  friendliness  of  their 
relation.  Although  I  could  hear  nothing  of  what  they 
said,  and  rarely  so  much  as  glean  a  decided  expression 
on  the  face  of  either,  there  was  a  distance,  almost  a 
stiffness,  in  their  bearing  which  showed  them  to  be 
either  unfamiliar  or  at  enmity.  The  girl  walked  faster 
when  she  was  with  Northmour  than  when  she  wa? 
alone;  and  I  conceived  that  any  inclination  between  a 
man  and  a  woman  would  rather  delay  than  accelerate 
the  step.  Moreover,  she  kept  a  good  yard  free  of  him, 
and  trailed  her  umbrella,  as  if  it  were  a  barrier,  on  the 
side  between  them.  Northmour  kept  sidling  closer; 
and,  as  the  girl  retired  from  his  advance,  their  course 
lay  at  a  sort  of  diagonal  across  the  beach,  and  would 
have  landed  them  in  the  surf  had  it  been  long  enough 
continued.  But,  when  it  was  imminent,  the  girl  would 
unostentatiously  change  sides  and  put  Northmour 
between  her  and  the  sea.  I  watched  these  manoeuvres, 
for  my  part,  with  high  enjoyment  and  approval,  and 
chuckled  to  myself  at  every  move. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  she  walked  alone 
for  some  time,  and  I  perceived,  to  my  great  concern, 
that  she  was  more  than  once  in  tears.  You  will  see 
that  my  heart  was  already  interested  more  than  I  sup- 
posed. She  had  a  firm  yet  airy  motion  of  the  body, 
and  carried  her  head  with  unimaginable  grace;  every 
step  was  a  thing  to  look  at,  and  she  seemed  in  my  eyes 
to  breathe  sweetness  and  distinction. 

The  day  was  so  agreeable,  being  calm  and  sunshiny, 
with  a  tranquil  sea,  and  yet  with  a  healthful  piquancy 
and  vigor  in  the  air,  that,  contrary  to  custom,  she  was 
tempted  forth  a  second  time  to  walk.  On  this  occa- 
sion she  was  accompanied  by  Northmour,  and  they  had 
been  but  a  short  while  on  the  beach,  when  I  saw  him 
take  forcible  possession  of  her  hand.  She  struggled, 
and  uttered  a  cry  that  was  almost  a  scream.     I  sprang 


194  Nl  W  ARAB)     '  UTS. 

to  mv  feet,  unmindful  of  my  strange  position;  but,  i  re 
I  had  taken  a  step.  I  saw  Northmour  bare-headed  and 
bowing  mtv  low,  ;is  if  to  apologize;  and  dropped  again 
at  once  into  my  ambush.  A  few  words  were  inter- 
chanj  then,  with  another  bow, he  left  the  beach 

to  n  turn  to  the  pavilion.  He  passed  not  far  from  me, 
and  I  could  see  him,  Bushed  and  lowering,  and  cutting 
with  his  cane  among  the  grass.  It  was  not 
without  satisfaction  that  I  recognized  my  own  handi- 
work in  a  great  cut  under  his  right  eye,  and  a  consid- 
le  discoloration  round  the  socket. 

For  some  time  the  girl  remained  where  he  had  left 
her,  looking  out  past  the  islet  and  over  the  bright  sea. 
Then  with  a  start,  as  one  who  throws  off  preoccupation 
and  puts  energy  again  upon  its  mettle,  she  broke  into 
a  rapid  and  decisive  walk.  She  also  was  much 
incensed  by  what  had  passed.  She  had  forgotten 
where  she  was.  And  I  beheld  her  walk  straight  into 
the  borders  of  the  quicksand  where  it  is  most  abrupt 
and  dangerous.  Two  or  three  steps  farther  and  her 
life  would  have  been  in  serious  jeopardy,  when  I  slid 
down  the  face  of  the  sand-hill, which  is  there  precipitous, 
and,  running  half-way  forward,  called  to  her  to  stop. 

She  did  so,  and  turned  round.  There  was  not  a 
tremor  of  fear  in  her  behavior,  and  she  marched 
directly  up  to  me  like  a  queen.  I  was  barefoot,  and 
clad  like  a  common  sailor,  save  for  an  Egyptian  scarf 
round  my  waist;  and  she  probably  took  me  at  first  for 
some  one  from  the  fisher  village,  straying  after  bait. 
As  for  her,  when  I  thus  saw  her  face  to  face,  her  eyes 
teadily  and  imperiously  upon  mine,  I  was  filled 
with  admiration  and  astonishment,  and  thought  her 
autiful  than  I  had  looked  to  find  her. 
Nor  could  I  think  enough  of  one  who,  acting  with  so 
mui  h  boldness,  yet  preserved  a  maidenly  air  that  was 
both  quaint  and  engaging  ;  for  my  wife  kept  an  old- 
fashioned  precision  of  manner  through  all  her  admir- 
able life — an  excellent  thing  in  woman,  since  it  sets 
another  value  on  her  sweet  familiarities. 


THE  PA  VI LION  ON  THE  LINKS,  1 95 

"  What  does  this  mean  ? "  she  asked. 

"  You  were  walking,"  I  told  her,  "  directly  into 
Graden  Floe." 

"  You  do  not  belong  to  these  parts,"  she  said  again. 
"  You  speak  like  an  educated  man." 

"  I  believe  I  have  a  right  to  that  name,"  said  I, 
"although  in  this  disguise." 

But  her  woman's  eye  had  already  detected  the  sash. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  said;  "your  sash  betrays  you." 

"  You  have  said  the  word  betray"  I  resumed.  "  May 
I  ask  you  not  to  betray  me  ?  I  was  obliged  to  disclose 
myself  in  your  interest;  but  if  Northmour  learned  my 
presence  it  might  be  worse  than  disagreeable  for  me." 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  asked,  "  to  whom  you  are 
speaking  ?  " 

"  Not  to  Mr.  Northmour's  wife?"  I  asked,  by  way 
of  answer. 

She  shook  her  head.  All  this  while  she  was  study- 
ing my  face  with  an  embarrassing  intentness.  Then 
she  broke  out — 

"  You  have  an  honest  face.  Be  honest  like  your 
face,  sir,  and  tell  me  what  you  want  and  what  you  are 
afraid  of.  Do  you  think  I  could  hurt  you  ?  I  believe 
you  have  far  more  power  to  injure  me  !  And  yet  you 
do  not  look  unkind.  What  do  you  mean — you,  a  gen- 
tleman— by  skulking  like  a  spy  about  this  desolate 
place  ?     Tell  me,"  she  said,  "  who  is  it  you  hate  ?  " 

"I  hate  no  one,"  I  answered;  "and  I  fear  no  one 
face  to  face.  My  name  is  Cassilis — Frank  Cassilis.  I 
lead  the  life  of  a  vagabond  for  my  own  good  pleasure. 
I  am  one  of  Northmour's  oldest  friends;  and  three 
nights  ago,  when  I  addressed  him  on  these  links,  he 
stabbed  me  in  the  shoulder  with  a  knife." 

"It  was  you  !  "  she  said. 

"  Why  he  did  so,"  I  continued,  disregarding  the 
interruption,  "  is  more  than  I  can  guess,  and  more 
than  I  care  to  know.  I  have  not  many  friends,  nor 
am  I  very  susceptible  to  friendship;  but  no  man  shall 
drive  me  from  a  place  by  terror.     I  had  camped  in 


196  Nl  it    ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

Graden  Sea-Wood  ere  he  came;  I  camp  in  it  still.     If 

you  think  I  inc. 111  harm  to  you  or  yours,  madam,  the 
remedy  is  in  your  hand.  Tell  him  that  my  camp  is  in 
the   Hemlock  Den,  and   to-night  he  can  stah  me   in 

v  while  I  sleep." 

With  this  I  doited  my  cap  to  her,  and  scrambled  up 
once  more  among  the  sand-hills.  I  do  not  know  why, 
hut  1  felt  a  prodigious  sense  of  injustice,  and  felt  like 
a  hero  and  a  martyr;  while,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  had 
not  a  word  to  say  in  my  defence,  nor  so  much  as  one 
plausible  reason  to  offer  for  my  conduct.  1  had 
stayed  at  Graden  out  of  a  curiosity  natural  enough, 
but  undignified;  and  though  there  was  another  motive 
growing  in  along  with  the  first,  it  was  not  one  which, 
at  that  period,  I  could  have  properly  explained  to  the 
lady  of  my  heart. 

(  ertainly,  that  night,  I  thought  of  no  one  else;  and, 
though  her  whole  conduct  and  position  seemed  sus- 
picious, I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  entertain  a 
doubt  of  her  integrity.  I  could  have  staked  my  life 
that  she  was  clear  of  blame,  and,  though  all  was  dark 
at  the  present,  that  the  explanation  of  the  mystery- 
would  show  her  part  in  these  events  to  be  both  right 
and  needful.  It  was  true,  let  me  cudgel  my  imagina- 
tion as  I  pleased,  that  I  could  invent  no  theory  of  her 
relations  to  Xorthmour;  but  I  felt  none  the  less  sure 
of  my  conclusion  because  it  was  founded  on  instinct  in 
place  of  reason,  and,  as  I  may  say,  went  to  sleep  that 
night  with  the  thought  of  her  under  my  pillow. 

Next  day  she  came  out  about  the  same  hour  alone, 
and,  as  soon  as  the  sand-hills  concealed  her  from  the 
pavilion,  drew  nearer  to  the  edge,  and  called  me  by 
name  in  guarded  tones.  I  was  astonished  to  observe 
that  she  was  deadly  pale,  and  seemingly  under  the 
influence  of  strong  emotion. 

'•  Mr.  Cassilis  ! "  she  cried  ;  "  Mr.  Cassilis  !  " 

I  appeared  at  once,  and  leaped  down  upon  the 
beach.  A  remarkable  air  of  relief  overspread  her 
countenance  as  soon  as  she  saw  me. 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  197 

"  Oh  !  "  she  cried,  with  a  hoarse  sound,  like  one 
whose  bosom  has  been  lightened  of  weight.  And  then. 
"  Thank  God,  you  are  still  safe  !  "  she  added  ;  "  I 
knew,  if  you  were,  you  would  be  here."  (Was  not 
this  strange  ?  So  swiftly  and  wisely  does  Nature  pre- 
pare our  hearts  for  these  great  life-long  intimacies,  that 
both  my  wife  and  I  had  been  given  a  presentiment  on 
this  the  second  day  of  our  acquaintance.  I  had  even 
then  hoped  that  she  would  seek  me  ;  she  had  felt  sure 
that  she  would  find  me.)  "  Do  not,"  she  went  on 
swiftly,  "do  not  stay  in  this  place.  Promise  me  that 
you  will  sleep  no  longer  in  that  wood.  You  do  not 
know  how  I  suffer  ;  all  last  night  I  could  not  sleep  for 
thinking  of  your  peril." 

"  Peril  ?"  I  repeated.  "  Peril  from  whom  ?  From 
Northmour?" 

"  Not  so,"  she  said.  "  Did  you  think  I  would  tell 
him  after  what  you  said  ?  " 

"  Not  from  Northmour  ?"  I  repeated.  "  Then  how  ? 
From  whom  ?     I  see  none  to  be  afraid  of." 

"  You  must  not  ask  me,"  was  her  reply,  "  for  I  am 
not  free  to  tell  you.  Only  believe  me,  and  go  hence 
■ — believe  me,  and  go  away  quickly,  quickly,  for  your 
life  !  " 

An  appeal  to  his  alarm  is  never  a  good  plan  to  rid 
oneself  of  a  spirited  young  man.  My  obstinacy  was 
but  increased  by  what  she  said,  and  I  made  it  a  point 
of  honor  to  remain.  And  her  solicitude  for  my  safety 
still  more  confirmed  me  in  the  resolve. 

"You  must  not  think  me  inquisitive,  madam,"  I 
replied  ;  "  but,  if  Graden  is  so  dangerous  a  place,  you 
yourself  perhaps  remain  here  at  some  risk." 

She  only  looked  at  me  reproachfully. 

"  You  and  your  father ,"  I   resumed  ;  but  she 

interrupted  me  almost  with  a  gasp. 

"  My  father  !     How  do  you  know  that  ?"  she  cried. 

"  I  saw  you  together  when  you  landed,"  was  my 
answer  ;  and  I  do  not  know  why,  but  it  seemed  satis- 
factory to  both  of   us,   as  indeed  it  was   the   truth. 


.."  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"  But,"  I  continued,  "you  need  have  no  fear  from  me. 
:  have  some  reason  to  be  secret,  and,  you 
may  believe  me,  your  se<  ret  is  as  safe  with  me  as  if  I 
in  Graden  Floe.  I  have  si  arce  spoken  to  any- 
one for  years;  my  horse  is  my  only  companion,  and 
even  he,  poor  beast,  is  not  beside  me.  You  see,  then, 
mt  on  me  for  silent  e.  So  tell  me  the 
truth,  my  dear  young  lady,  are  you  not  in  danger?  " 

"  Mr.  North mour  says  you  are  an  honorable  man," 
she  returned,  "and  I  believe  it  when  I  see  you.  I  will 
tell  you  so  much  ;  you  are  right  ;  we  are  in  dreadful, 
dreadful  danger,  and  you  share  it  by  remaining  where 
you  are." 

"Ah  !  "  said  I  ;  "  you  have  heard  of  me  from  North- 
mour  ?     And  lie  gives  me  a  good  character  ?  " 

"  I  asked  him  about  you  last  night,"  was  her  reply. 
"  I  pretended,"  she  hesitated,  "  I  pretended  to  have 
met  you  long  ago,  and  spoken  to  you  of  him.  It  was 
not  true  ;  but  I  could  not  help  myself  without  betray- 
ing you,  and  you  had  put  me  in  a  difficulty.  He 
praised  you  highly." 

"And — you  may  permit  me  one  question — does  this 
danger  come  from  Northmour?"  I  asked. 

"  From  Mr.  Northmour  ? "  she  cried.  "  Oh,  no  ;  he 
stays  with  us  to  share  it." 

"While  you  propose  that  I  should  run  away  ?"  I 
said.     "  You  do  not  rate  me  very  high." 

"  Why  should  you  stay  ?  "  she  asked.  "  You  are  no 
friend  of  ours." 

I  know  not  what  came  over  me,  for  I  had  not  been 
conscious  of  a  similar  weakness  since  I  was  a  child. 
but  I  was  so  mortified  by  this  retort  that  my  eyes 
pricked  and  filled  with  tears,  as  I  continued  to  gaze 
ujxjn  her  face. 

'"  No,  no,"  she  said,  in  a  changed  voice  ;  "  I  did  not 
mean  the  words  unkindly." 

"  It  was  I  who  offended,"  I  said  ;  and  I  held  out 
my  hand  with  a  look  of  appeal  that  somehow  touched 
her,  for  she  gave  me  hers  at  once,  and  even  eagerly.    I 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  199 

held  it  for  awhile  in  mine,  and  gazed  into  her  eyes. 
It  was  she  who  first  tore  her  hand  away,  and,  forget- 
ting all  about  her  request  and  the  promise  she  had 
sought  to  extort,  ran  at  the  top  of  her  speed,  and  with- 
out turning,  till  she  was  out  of  sight.  And  then  I 
knew  that  I  loved  her,  and  thought  in  my  glad  heart 
that  she — she  herself — was  not  indifferent  to  my  suit. 
Many  a  time  she  has  denied  it  in  after  days,  but  it  was 
with  a  smiling  and  not  a  serious  denial.  For  my  part, 
I  am  sure  our  hands  would  not  have  lain  so  closely  in 
each  other  if  she  had  not  begun  to  melt  to  me  already. 
And,  when  all  is  said,  it  is  no  great  contention,  since, 
by  her  own  avowal,  she  began  to  love  me  on  the  mor- 
row. 

And  yet  on  the  morrow  very  little  took  place.  She 
came  and  called  me  down  as  on  the  day  before, 
upbraided  me  for  lingering  at  Graden,  and,  when  she 
found  I  was  still  obdurate,  began  to  ask  me  more  par- 
ticularly as  to  my  arrival.  I  told  her  by  what  series  of 
accidents  I  had  come  to  witness  their  disembarkation, 
and  how  I  had  determined  to  remain,  partly  from  the 
interest  which  had  been  wakened  in  me  by  North- 
mour's  guests,  and  partly  because  of  his  own  murder- 
ous attack.  As  to  the  former,  I  fear  I  was  disingenu- 
ous, and  led  her  to  regard  herself  as  having  been  an 
attraction  to  me  from  the  first  moment  that  I  saw  her 
on  the  links.  It  relieves  my  heart  to  make  this  con- 
fession even  now,  when  my  wife  is  with  God,  and 
already  knows  all  things,  and  the  honesty  of  my  pur- 
pose even  in  this  ;  for  while  she  lived,  although  it  often 
pricked  my  conscience,  I  had  never  the  hardihood  to 
undeceive  her.  Even  a  little  secret,  in  such  a  married 
life  as  ours,  is  like  the  rose-leaf  which  kept  the  Prin- 
cess from  her  sleep. 

From  this  the  talk  branched  into  other  subjects,  and 
I  told  her  much  about  my  lonely  and  wandering  exist- 
ence ;  she,  for  her  part,  giving  ear,  and  saying  little. 
Although  we  spoke  very  naturally,  and  latterly  on 
topics  that  might  seem  indifferent,  we  were  both  sweetly 


200  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

agitated.     Too  soon  it  was  time  for  her  to  go  ;  and  we 
sepai  it'  by  mutual  consent,  without  shaking 

hands,  for  both  knew  that,  between  us,  it  was  no  idle 
ceremony. 

The  next,  and  that  was  the  fourth  day  of  our 
acquaintance,  we  met  in  the  same  spot,  but  early  in 
the  morning,  with  much  familiarity  and  yet  much  tim- 
idity on  either  side.  When  she  had  once  more  spoken 
about  my  danger — and  that,  I  understood,  was  her 
ex<  use  for  coming — I,  who  bad  prepared  a  great  deal 
of  talk  during  the  night,  began  to  tell  her  how  highly  I 
valued  her  kind  interest,  and  how  no  one  had  ever 
cared  to  hear  about  my  life,  nor  had  I  ever  cared  to 
relate  it,  before  yesterday.  Suddenly  she  interrupted 
me,  saying  with  vehemence — 

"And  yet,  if  you  knew  who  I  was,  you  would  not  so 
much  as  speak  to  me  !  " 

I  told  her  such  a  thought  was  madness,  and,  little  as 
we  had  met,  I  counted  her  already  a  dear  friend  ;  but 
my  protestations  seemed  only  to  make  her  more  des- 
perate. 

"  My  father  is  in  hiding  !  "  she  cried. 

"  My  dear,"  I  said,  forgetting  for  the  first  time  to 
add  "  young  lady,"  "what  do  I  care?  If  he  were  in 
hiding  twenty  times  over,  would  it  make  one  thought 
of  change  in  you  ?  " 

"  Ah,  but  the  cause  !  "  she  cried,  "  the  cause  !     It  is 

"  she  faltered  for  a  second — <:it  is  disgraceful  to 

us  !  " 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TELLS    IN    WHAT    A    STARTLING     MANNER    I    LEARNEI1 
THAT    I    WAS   NOT    ALONE    IN    GRADEN   SEA-WOOD. 

This  was  my  wife's  story,  as  I  drew  it  from  her 
among  tears  and  sobs.  Her  name  was  Clara  Huddle- 
stone  :  it  sounded  very  beautiful  in  my  ears  ;  but  not 
so  beautiful  as  that  other  name  of  Clara  Cassilis,  which 
she  wore  during  the  longer  and,  I  thank  God,  the  hap- 
pier portion  of  her  life.  Her  father,  Bernard  Huddle- 
stone,  had  been  a  private  banker  in  a  very  large  way 
of  business.  Many  years  before,  his  affairs  becoming 
disordered,  he  had  been  led  to  try  dangerous,  and  at 
last  criminal,  expedients  to  retrieve  himself  from  ruin. 
All  was  in  vain  ;  he  became  more  and  more  cruelly 
involved,  and  found  his  honor  lost  at  the  same  moment 
with  his  fortune.  About  this  period,  Northmour  had 
been  courting  his  daughter  with  great  assiduity,  though 
with  small  encouragement ;  and  to  him,  knowing  him 
thus  disposed  in  his  favor,  Bernard  Huddlestone  turned 
for  help  in  his  extremity.  It  was  not  merely  ruin  and 
dishonor,  nor  merely  a  legal  condemnation,  that  the 
unhappy  man  had  brought  on  his  head.  It  seems  he 
could  have  gone  to  prison  with  a  light  heart.  What  he 
feared,  what  kept  him  awake  at  night  or  recalled  him 
from  slumber  into  frenzy,  was  some  secret,  sudden, 
and  unlawful  attempt  upon  his  life.  Hence,  he 
desired  to  bury  his  existence  and  escape  to  one  of  the 
islands  in  the  South  Pacific,  and  it  was  in  Northmour's 
yacht,  the  Red  Earl,  that  he  designed  to  go.  The 
yacht  picked  them  up  clandestinely  upon  the  coast  of 
Wales,  and  had  once  more  deposited  them  at  Graden, 
till  she  could  be  refitted  and  provisioned  for  the  longer 
voyage.  Nor  could  Clara  doubt  that  her  hand  had 
201 


202  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

been  stipulated  as  the  price  of  passage.  For,  although 
Northmour  was  neither  unkind  or  discourteous,  he  had 
shown  himself  in  several  instances  somewhat  overbold 
in  speech  and  manner. 

I  listened,  I  aeed  not  say,  with  fixed  attention,  and 
put  many  questions  as  to  the  more  mysterious  part. 
It  was  in  vain.  She  had  no  clear  idea  of  what  the 
Mow  was,  nor  of  how  it  was  expected  to  fall.  Her 
father's  alarm  was  unfeigned  and  physically  prostrat- 
ing, and  he  had  thought  more  than  once  of  making 
an  unconditional  surrender  to  the  police.  But  the 
scheme  was  finally  abandoned,  for  he  was  convinced 
that  not  even  the  strength  of  our  English  prisons  could 
shelter  him  from  his  pursuers.  He  had  had  many 
affairs  with  Italy,  and  with  Italians  resident  in  London, 
in  the  later  years  of  his  business;  and  these  last,  as 
Clara  fancied,  were  somehow  connected  with  the  doom 
that  threatened  him.  He  had  shown  great  terror  at 
the  presence  of  an  Italian  seaman  on  board  the  Red 
Earl,  and  had  bitterly  and  repeatedly  accused  North- 
mour in  consequence.  The  latter  had  protested  that 
Beppo  (that  was  the  seaman's  name)  was  a  capital  fel- 
low, and  could  be  trusted  to  the  death;  but  Mr.  Hud- 
dlestone  had  continued  ever  since  to  declare  that  all 
was  lost,  that  it  was. only  a  question  of  days,  and  that 
Beppo  would  be  the  rui-n  of  him  yet. 

I  regarded  the  whole  story  as  the  hallucination  of  & 
mind  shaken  by  calamity.  He  had  suffered  heavy  loss 
by  his  Italian  transactions;  and  hence  the  sight  of  an 
Italian  was  hateful  to  him,  and  the  principal  part  in 
his  nightmare  would  naturally  enough  be  played  by 
one  of  that  nation. 

"  What  your  father  wants,"  I  said,  "  is  a  good  doctor 
and  some  calming  medicine." 

"But  Mr.  Northmour?"  objected  your  mother. 
"  He  is  untroubled  by  losses,  and  yet  he  shares  in  this 
terror." 

I  could  not  help  laughing  at  what  I  considered  her 
simplicity. 


THE  FA  VILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  203 

"  My  dear,"  said  I,  "  you  have  told  me  yourself  what 
reward  he  has  to  look  for.  All  is  fair  in  love,  you 
must  remember;  and  if  Northmour  foments  your 
father's  terrors,  it  is  not  at  all  because  he  is  afraid  of 
any  Italian  man,  but  simply  because  he  is  infatuated 
with  a  charming  English  woman." 

She  reminded  me  cf  his  attack  upon  myself  on  the 
night  of  the  disembarkation,  and  this  I  was  unable  to 
explain.  In  short,  and  from  one  thing  to  another,  it 
was  agreed  between  us,  that  I  should  set  out  at  once 
for  the  fisher  village,  Graden  Wester,  as  it  was  called, 
look  up  all  the  newspapers  1  could  find,  and  see  for 
myself  if  there  seemed  any  basis  of  fact  for  these  con- 
tinued alarms.  The  next  morning,  at  the  same  hour 
and  place,  I  was  to  make  my  report  to  Clara.  She 
said  no  more  on  that  occasion  about  my  departure; 
nor  indeed,  did  she  make  it  a  secret  that  she  clung  to 
the  thought  or  my  proximity  as  something  helpful  and 
pleasant;  and,  for  my  part,  I  could  not  have  left  her, 
if  she  had  gone  upon  her  knees  to  ask  it. 

I  reached  Graden  Wester  before  ten  in  the  forenoon; 
for  in  those  days  I  was  an  excellent  pedestrian,  and 
the  distance,  as  I  think  I  have  said,  was  little  over 
seven  miles;  fine  walking  all  the  way  upon  the  springy 
turf.  The  village  is  one  of  the  bleakest  on  that  coast, 
which  is  saying  much:  there  is  a  church  in  a  hollow, 
a  miserable  haven  in  the  rocks,  where  many  boats  have 
been  lost  as  they  returned  from  fishing;  two  or  three 
score  of  stone  houses  arranged  along  the  beach  and. in 
two  streets,  one  leading  from  the  harbor,  and  another 
striking  out  from  it  at  right  angles;  and,  at  the  corner 
of  these  two,  a  very  dark  and  cheerless  tavern,  by  way 
of  principal  hotel. 

I  had  dressed  myself  somewhat  more  suitably  to  my 
station  in  life,  and  at  once  called  upon  the  minister  in 
his  little  manse  beside  the  graveyard.  He  knew  me, 
although  it  was  more  than  nine  years  since  we  had 
met;  and  when  I  told  him  that  I  had  been  long  upon 
<x  walking  tour,  and  was  behind  with  the  news,  readily 


-•    t  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

lent  me  an  armful  of  newspapers,  dating  from  a  month 
back  to  the  day  before.  With  these  1  sought  the  tav- 
ern, and,  ordering  some  breakfast,  sat  down  to  study 
the  "  I  [uddlestone  Failure." 

It  had  been,  it  appeared,  a  very  flagrant  rase. 
Thousands  of  persons  were  reduced  to  poverty;  and 
one  in  particular  had  blown  out  his  brains  as  soon  as 
payment  was  suspended.  It  was  strange  to  myself 
that,  while  I  read  these  details,  I  continued  rather  to 
sympathize  with  Mr.  Huddlestone  than  with  his  vic- 
tims; so  complete  already  was  the  empire  of  my  love 
for  my  wife.  A  price  was  naturally  set  upon  the 
banker's  head;  and,  as  the  case  was  inexcusable  and 
the  public  indignation  thoroughly  aroused,  the  unusual 
figure  of  750/.  was  offered  for  his  capture.  He  was 
reported  to  have  large  sums  of  money  in  his  posses- 
sion. One  day,  he  had  been  heard  of  in  Spain;  the 
next,  there  was  sure  intelligence  that  he  was  still  lurk- 
ing between  Manchester  and  Liverpool,  or  along  the 
border  of  Wales;  and  the  day  after,  a  telegram  would 
announce  his  arrival  in  Cuba  or  Yucatan.  But  in  all 
this  there  was  no  word  of  an  Italian,  nor  any  sign  of 
mystery. 

In  the  very  last  paper,  however,  there  was  one  item 
not  so  clear.  The  accountants  who  were  charged  to 
verify  the  failure  had,  it  seemed,  come  upon  the  traces 
of  a  very  large  number  of  thousands,  which  figured  for 
some  time  in  the  transactions  of  the  house  of  Huddle- 
stone  ;  but  which  came  from  nowhere,  and  disappeared 
in  the  same  mysterious  fashion.  It  was  only  once 
referred  to  by  name,  and  then  under  the  initials  "X. 
X."  ;  but  it  had  plainly  been  floated  for  the  first  time 
into  the  business  at  a  period  of  great  depression  some 
six  years  ago.  The  name  of  a  distinguished  Royal  per- 
sonage had  been  mentioned  by  rumor  in  connection 
with  this  sum.  "  The  cowardly  desperado  " — such,  I 
remember,  was  the  editorial  expression — was  supposed 
to  have  escaped  with  a  large  part  of  this  mysterious 
fund  still  in  his  possession. 


THE  PA  VILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  205 

I  was  still  brooding  over  the  fact,  and  trying  to  tor- 
ture it  into  some  connection  with  Mr.  Huddlestone's 
danger,  when  a  man  entered  the  tavern  and  asked  for 
some  bread  and  cheese  with  a  decided  foreign  accent. 

"  Side  Italiano?"  said  I. 

"  St  signer,"  was  his  reply. 

I  said  it  was  unusually  far  north  to  find  one  of  his 
compatriots  ;  at  which  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and 
replied  that  a  man  would  go  anywhere  to  find  work. 
What  work  he  could  hope  to  find  at  Graden  Wester,  I 
was  totally  unable  to  conceive  ;  and  the  incident  struck 
so  unpleasantly  upon  my  mind,  that  I  asked  the  land- 
lord, while  he  was  counting  me  some  change,  whether 
he  had  ever  before  seen  an  Italian  in  the  village.  He 
said  he  had  once  seen  some  Norwegians,  who  had  been 
shipwrecked  on  the  other  side  of  Graden  Ness  and 
rescued  by  the  lifeboat  from  Cauld-haven. 

"No!"  said  I;  "but  an  Italian,  like  the  man  who 
has  just  had  bread  and  cheese." 

"What?"  cried  he,  "  yonblack-avised  fellow  wi'  the 
teeth  ?  Was  he  an  I-talian  ?  Weel,  yon's  the  first  that 
ever  I  saw,  an'  I  dare  say  he's  like  to  be  the  last." 

Even  as  he  was  speaking,  I  raised  my  eyes,  and, 
casting  a  glance  into  the  street,  beheld  three  men  in 
earnest  conversation  together,  and  not  thirty  yards 
away.  One  of  them  was  my  recent  companion  in  the 
tavern  parlor  ;  the  other  two,  by  their  handsome,  sal- 
low features  and  soft  hats,  should  evidently  belong  to 
the  same  race.  A  crowd  of  village  children  stood 
around  them,  gesticulating  and  talking  gibberish  in 
imitation.  The  trio  looked  singularly  foreign  to  the 
bleak  dirty  street  in  which  they  were  standing,  and  the 
dark  gray  heaven  that  overspread  them  ;  and  I  con- 
fess my  incredulity  received  at  that  moment  a  shock 
from  which  it  never  recovered.  I  might  reason  with 
myself  as  I  pleased,  but  I  could  not  argue  down  the 
effect  of  what  I  had  seen,  and  I  began  to  share  in  the 
Italian  terror. 

It  was  already  drawing  towards  the  close  of  the  day 


206  ,v/  ir  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

before  I  had  returned  the  newspapers  at  the  manse, 

ami  got  well  forward  on  to  the  links  on  my  way  home. 
I  shall  never  forget  that  walk.  It  grew  very  cold  and 
boisterous  ;  the  wind  sang  in  the  short  grass  about  my 
feet;  thin  rain  showers  came  running  on  the  gusts ; 
and  an  immense  mountain  range  of  clouds  began  to 
arise  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  sea.  It  would  be  hard 
to  imagine  a  more  dismal  evening;  and  whether  it  was 
from  these  external  influences,  or  because  my  nerves 
were  already  affected  by  what  I  had  heard  and  seen, 
my  thoughts  were  as  gloomy  as  the  w<  ather. 

The  upper  windows  of  the  pavilion  commanded  a 
considerable  spread  of  links  in  the  direction  of  Graden 
Wester.  To  avoid  observation,  it  was  necessary  to 
hug  the  beach  until  I  had  gained  cover  from  the 
higher  sand-hills  on  the  little  headland,  when  I  might 
strike  across,  through  the  hollows,  for  the  margin  of 
the  wood.  The  sun  was  about  setting  ;  the  tide  was 
low,  and  all  the  quicksands  uncovered  ;  and  I  was 
moving  along,  lost  in  unpleasant  thought,  when  I  was 
suddenly  thunderstruck  to  perceive  the  prints  of  human 
feet.  They  ran  parallel  to  my  own  course,  but  low 
down  upon  the  beach  instead  of  along  the  border  of 
the  turf ;  and,  when  I  examined  them,  I  saw  at  once, 
by  the  size  and  coarseness  of  the  impression,  that  it 
was  a  stranger  to  me  and  to  those  in  the  pavilion  who 
had  recently  passed  that  way.  Not  only  so  ;  but  from 
the  recklessness  of  the  course  which  he  had  followed, 
steering  near  to  the  most  formidable  portions  of  the 
sand,  he  was  as  evidently  a  stranger  to  the  country  and 
to  the  ill-repute  of  Graden  beach. 

Step  by  step  I  followed  the  prints;  until,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  further,  I  beheld  them  die  away  into  the 
south-eastern  boundary  of  Graden  Floe.  There,  who- 
ever he  was,  the  miserable  man  had  perished.  One  or 
two  gulls,  who  had,  perhaps,  seen  him  disappear, 
wheeled  over  his  sepulchre  with  their  usual  melancholy 
piping.  The  sun  had  broken  through  the  clouds  by  a 
last   effort,  and   colored  the  wide   level  of  quicksands 


THE  PA  VILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  207 

with  a  dusky  purple.  1  stood  for  some  time  gazing  at 
the  spot,  chilled  and  disheartened  by  my  own  reflec- 
tions, and  with  a  strong  and  commanding  conscious- 
ness of  death.  I  remember  wondering  how  long  the 
tragedy  had  taken,  and  whether  his  screams  had  been 
audible  at  the  pavilion.  And  then,  making  a  strong 
resolution,  I  was  about  to  tear  myself  away,  when  a 
gust  fiercer  than  usual  fell  upon  this  quarter  of  the 
beach,  and  I  saw  now,  whirling  high  in  air,  now  skim- 
ming lightly  across  the  surface  of  the  sands,  a  soft, 
black,  felt  hat,  somewhat  conical  in  shape,  such  as  1 
had  remarked  already  on  the  heads  of  the  Italians. 

I  believe,  but  I  am  not  sure,  that  I  uttered  a  cry. 
The  wind  was  driving  the  hat  shoreward,  and  I  ran 
round  the  border  of  the  floe  to  be  ready  against  its 
arrival.  The  gust  fell,  dropping  the  hat  for  a  while 
upon  the  quicksand,  and  then,  once  more  freshening, 
landed  it  a  few  yards  from  where  I  stood.  I  seized  it 
with  the  interest  you  may  imagine.  It  had  seen  some 
service;  indeed,  it  was  rustier  than  either  of  those  I 
had  seen  that  day  upon  the  street.  The  lining  was 
red,  stamped  with  the  name  of  the  maker,  which  1 
have  forgotten,  and  that  of  the  place  of  manufacture, 
Venedig.  This  (it  is  not  yet  forgotten)  was  the  name 
given  by  the  Austrians  to  the  beautiful  city  of  Venice, 
then,  and  for  long   after,  a  part  of  their  dominions. 

The  shock  was  complete.  I  saw  imaginary  Italians 
upon  every  side;  and  for  the  first,  and,  I  may  say,  for 
the  last  time  in  my  experience,  became  overpowered  by 
what  is  called  panic  terror.  I  knew  nothing,  that  is, 
to  be  afraid  of,  and  yet  I  admit  that  I  was  heartily 
afraid;  and  it  was  with  a  sensible  reluctance  that  I 
returned  to  my  exposed  and  solitary  camp  in  the  Sea- 
Wood. 

There  I  ate  some  cold  porridge  which  had  been  left 
over  from  the  night  before,  for  I  was  disinclined  to 
make  a  fire;  and,  feeling  strengthened  and  reassured, 
dismissed  all  these  fanciful  terrors  from  my  mind,  and 
lay  down  to  sleep  with  composure. 


?o8  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

How  long    I    may  have   slept  it  IS  impossible   for  mc 

less;  but    1   was  awakened  at  last  by  a  sudden, 

blinding  Hash  of  light  into  my  face.     It  woke  me  like 

a  blow.      In  an  instant  I  was  upon  my  knees.      But  the 

had  gone  as  suddenly  as  it  came.     The  darkness 

intense.     And,  as  it  was  blowing  great  guns  from 

the  sea  and  pouring  with  rain,  the  noises  of   the  storm 

acealed  all  others. 

It  was,  I  dare  say,  half  a  minute  before  I  regained 
my  self-possession.  But  for  two  circumstances,  I 
should  have  thought  I  had  been  awakened  by  some 
new  and  vivid  form  of  nightmare.  First,  the  flap  of 
my  tent,  which  I  had  shut  carefully  when  I  retired, was 
now  unfastened;  and,  second,  1  could  still  perceive, 
with  a  sharpness  that  excluded  any  theory  of  halluci- 
nation, the  smell  of  hot  metal  and  of  burning  oil.  The 
conclusion  was  obvious.  I  had  been  awakened  by 
some  one  flashing  a  bull's-eye  lantern  in  my  face.  It 
had  been  but  a  flash,  and  away.  He  had  seen  my 
face,  and  then  gone.  I  asked  myself  the  object  of  so 
strange  a  proceeding,  and  the  answer  came  pat.  The 
man,  whoever  he  was,  had  thought  to  recognize  me, 
and  he  had  not.  There  was  yet  another  question  un- 
solved; and  to  this,  I  may  say,  I  feared  to  give  an 
answer;  if  he  had  recoguized  me,  what  would  he  have 
done  ? 

My  fears  were  immediately  diverted  from  myself,  for 
I  saw  that  I  had  been  visited  in  a  mistake;  and  I  be- 
came persuaded  that  some  dreadful  danger  threatened 
the  pavilion.  It  required  some  nerve  to  issue  forth 
into  the  black  and  intricate  thicket  which  surrounded 
and  overhung  the  den;  but  I  groped  my  way  to  the 
links,  drenched  with  rain,  beaten  upon  and  deafened 
by  the  gusts,  and  fearing  at  every  step  to  lay  my  hand 
upon  some  lurking  adversary.  The  darkness  was  so 
complete  that  I  might  have  been  surrounded  by  an 
army  and  yet  none  the  wiser,  and  the  uproar  of  the 
gale  so  loud  that  my  hearing  was  as  useless  as  my 
sight. 


THU  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  209 

For  the  rest  of  the  night,  which  seemed  interminably 
long,  I  patroled  the  vicinity  of  the  pavilion,  without 
seeing  a  living  creature  or  hearing  any  noise  but  the 
concert  of  the  wind,  the  sea,  and  the  rain.  A  light  in 
the  upper  story  filtered  through  a  cranny  in  the  shut- 
ter, and  kept  me  company  till  the  approach  of  dawn . 


CHAPTER  V. 

TELLS     OF     AN      INTERVIEW     BETWEEN     NORTHMOUR, 
CLARA,    AND    MYSELF. 

With  the  first  peep  of  day,  I  retired  from  the  open  to 
my  old  lair  among  the  sandhills,  there  to  await  the 
coming  of  my  wife.  The  morning  was  gray,  wild,  and 
melancholy  ;  the  wind  moderated  before  sunrise,  and 
then  went  about,  and  blew  in  puffs  from  the  shore  ;  the 
sea  began  to  go  down,  but  the  rain  still  fell  without 
mercy.  Over  all  the  wilderness  of  links  there  was 
not  a  creature  to  be  seen.  Yet  I  felt  sure  the 
neighborhood  was  alive  with  skulking  foes.  The  light 
had  been  so  suddenly  and  surprisingly  flashed  upon  my 
face  as  I  lay  sleeping,  and  the  hat  that  had  been  blown 
ashore  by  the  wind  from  over  Graden  Floe,  were  two 
speaking  signals  of  the  peril  that  environed  Clara  and 
the  party  in  the  pavilion. 

It  was,  perhaps,  half-past  seven,  or  nearer  eight, 
before  I  saw  the  door  open,  and  that  dear  figure  come 
towards  me  in  the  rain.  I  was  waiting  for  her  on  the 
beach  before  she  had  crossed  the  sanddiills. 

"  I  have  had  such  trouble  to  come  !  "  she  cried. 
"  They  did  not  wish  me  to  go  walking  in  the  rain." 

"  Clara,"  I  said,  "  you  are  not  frightened  !  " 

"  No,"  said  she,  with  a  simplicity  that  filled  my  heart 
with  confidence.  For  my  wife  was  the  bravest  as  well 
as  the  best  of  women  ;  in  my  experience,  I  have  not 
found  the  two  go  always  together,  but  with  her  they 
did;  and  she  combined  the  extreme  of  fortitude  with  the 
most  endearing  and  beautiful  virtues. 

1  told  her  what  had  happened  ;  and,  though  her  cheek 
grew  visibly  paler,  she  retained  perfect  control  over  her 
senses. 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  211 

"You  see  now  that  I  am  safe,"  said  I  in  conclusion. 
"  They  do  not  mean  to  harm  me  ;  for,  had  they  chosen, 
I  was  a  dead  man  last  night." 

She  laid  her  hand  upon  my  arm. 

"  And  I  had  no  presentiment !  "she  cried. 

Her  accent  thrilled  me  with  delight.  I  put  my  arm 
about  her,  and  strained  her  to  my  side  ;  and,  before 
either  of  us  was  aware,  her  hands  were  on  my  shoulders 
and  my  lips  upon  her  mouth.  Yet  up  to  that  moment 
no  word  of  love  had  passed  between  us.  To  this  time 
I  remember  the  touch  of  her  cheek,  which  was  wet  and 
cold  with  the  rain  ;  and  many  a  time  since,  when  she 
has  been  washing  her  face,  I  have  kissed  it  again  for 
the  sake  of  that  morning  on  the  beach.  Now  that  she 
is  taken  from  me,  and  I  finish  my  pilgrimage  alone, 
I  recall  our  old  loving  kindness  and  the  deep'  honesty 
and  affection  which  united  us,  and  my  "present  loss 
seems  but  a  trifle  in  comparison. 

We  may  have  thus  stood  for  some  seconds — for  time 
passes  quickly  with  lovers — before  we  were  startled  by 
a  peal  of  laughter  close  at  hand.  It  was  not  natural 
mirth,  but  seemed  to  be  affected  in  order  to  conceal 
an  angrier  feeling.  We  both  turned,  though  I  still  kept 
my  left  arm  about  Clara's  waist  ;  nor  did  she  seek  to 
withdraw  herself  ;  and  there,  a  few  paces  off  upon  the 
beach,  stood  Northmour,  his  head  lowered,  his  hands 
behind  his  back,  his  nostrils  white  with  passion. 

"  Ah  !  Cassilis  !  "  he  said,  as  I  disclosed  my  face. 

'  That  same,"  said  I ;  for  I  was  not  at  all  put  about. 

"  And  so,  Miss  Huddlestone,"  he  continued  slowly 
but  savagely,  "  this  is  how  you  keep  your  faith  to  your 
father  and  to  me?  This  is  the  value  you  set  upon 
your  father's  life  ?  And  you  are  so  infatuated  with  this 
young  gentleman  that  you  must  brave  ruin,  and  decencv, 
and  common  human  caution " 

"  Miss  Huddlestone — "  I  was  beginning  to 
interrupt  him,  when  he,  in  his  turn,  cut  in  brutally — 

"  You  hold  your  tongue,"  said  he  ;  "I  am  speaking 
to  that  girl." 


2  12  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"That  girl,  as  you  call  her,  is  my  wife,"  said  I:  and 
my  wife  only  leaned  a  little  nearer,  so  that  I  knew  she 
had  affirmed  my  words. 

"Your  what?"   he  cried.      "You  lie!" 

"  Northmour,"  I  said.  "  we  all  know  you  have  a  bad 
temper,  and  I  am  the  last  man  to  be  irritated  by  words. 
For  all  that,  I  propose  that  you  speak  lower,  for  I  am 
convinced  that  we  are  not  alone." 

He  looked  round  him,  and  it  was  plain  my  remark 
had  in  some  degree  sobered  his  passion.  "What  do 
you  mean  !  "  he  asked. 

I  only  said  one  word  :  "  Italians." 

He  swore  a  round  oath,  and  looked  at  us,  from  one 
to  the  other. 

"  Mr.  Cassilis  knows  all  that  I  know,"  said  my 
wife. 

"What  I  want  to  know."  he  broke  out,  "is  where 
the  devil  Mr.  Cassilis  comes  from,  and  what  the  devil 
Mr.  Cassilis  is  doing  here.  You  say  you  are  married  : 
that  I  do  not  believe.  If  you  were,  Graden  Floe  would 
soon  divorce  you  ;  four  minutes  and  a  half,  Cassilis 
I  keep  my  private  cemetery  for  my  friends." 

"It  took  somewhat  longer,"  said  I,  "  for  that  Italian. ' 

He  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  half  daunted,  and 
then,  almost  civilly,  asked  me  to  tell  my  story.  "  You 
have  too  much  the  advantage  of  me,  Cassilis,"  he 
added.  I  complied,  of  course  ;  and  he  listened,  with 
several  ejaculations,  while  I  told  him  how  I  had  come 
to  Graden  ;  that  it  was  I  whom  he  had  tried  to  murder 
on  the  night  of  landing  ;  and  what  I  had  subsequently 
seen  and  heard  of  the  Italians. 

"Well,"  said  he,  when  I  had  done, "  it  is  here  at 
last  ;  there  is  no  mistake  about  that.  And  what,  may 
I  ask,  do  you  propose  to  do  ? " 

"  I  propose  to  stay  with  you  and  lend  a  hand,"  said  I. 

"  You  are  a  brave  man,"  he  returned,  with  a  peculiar 
intonation. 

"  I  am  not  afraid,"  said  I. 

"  And  so,"  he  continued,  "  I  am  to  understand  that 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  213 

you  two  are  married  ?  And  you  stand  up  to  it  before 
my  face,  Miss  Huddlestone  ?  " 

"  We  are  not  yet  married,"  said  Clara  ;  "  but  we 
shall  be  as  soon  as  we  can." 

"  Bravo  !  "  cried  Northmour.  "  And  the  bargain  ? 
D — n  it,  you're  not  a  fool,  young  woman  ;  I  may  call 
a  spade  a  spade  with  you.  How  about  the  bargain  ? 
You  know  as  well  as  I  do  what  your  father's  life 
depends  upon.  I  have  only  to  put  my  hands  under 
my  coat-tails  and  walk  away,  and  his  throat  would  be 
cut  before  the  evening." 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Northmour,"  returned  Clara,  with  great 
spirit  ;  "  but  that  is  what  you  will  never  do.  You  made 
a  bargain  that  was  unworthy  of  a  gentleman  ;  but  you 
are  a  gentleman  for  all  that,  and  you  will  never  desert  a 
man  whom  you  have  begun  to  help." 

"  Aha  !  "  said  he.  "  You  think  I  will  give  my  yacht 
for  nothing  ?  You  think  I  will  risk  my  life  and  liberty 
for  love  of  the  old  gentleman  ;  and  then,  I  suppose, 
be  best  man  at  the  wedding,  to  wind  up  ?  Well,"  he 
added,  with  an  odd  smile,  "  perhaps  you  are  not 
altogether  wrong.  But  ask  Cassilis  here.  He  knows 
me.  Am  I  a  man  to  trust  ?  Am  I  safe  and  scrupu- 
lous ?     Am  I  kind  ?  " 

"  I  know  you  talk  a  great  deal,  and  sometimes,  I 
think,  very  foolishly,"  replied  Clara,  "  but  I  know  you 
are  a  gentleman,  and  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid." 

He  looked  at  her  with  a  peculiar  approval  and  admi- 
ration ;  then,  turning  to  me,  "  Do  you  think  I  would 
give  her  up  without  a  struggle,  Frank  ? "  said  he.  "  I 
tell  you  plainly,  you  look  out.  The  next  time  we  come 
to  blows  " 

"  Will  make  the  third,"  I  interrupted,  smiling. 

"  Aye,  true  ;  so  it  will,"  he  said.  "  I  had  forgotten. 
Well,  the  third  time's  lucky." 

"  The  third  time,  you  mean,  you  will  have  the  crew 
of  the  Red  Earl  to  help,"  I  said. 

"  Do  you  hear  him?  "  he  asked,  turning  to  my  wife. 

'*  I  hear  two  men  speaking  like  cowards,"  said  she. 


.'14  N£  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

''  I  should  despise  myself  either  to  think  or  speak  like 

that      And  neither  of   you    believe  one  word  that    you 

are  saying,  which  makes  it  the  more  wicked  and  silly." 

" She's  a  trump  ! "   cried    Northmour.     "But  she's 

not  yet  Mrs.  Cassilis.  I  say  no  more.  The  present  is 
not  for  me." 

Then  my  wife  surprised  me. 

"  I  leave  you  here,"  she  said  suddenly.  "  My  father 
has  been  too  long  alone.  But  remember  this  :  you  are 
to  be  friends,  for  you  are  both  good  friends  to  me." 

She  has  since  told  me  her  reason  for  this  step.  As 
long  as  she  remained,  she  declares  that  we  two  would 
have  continued  to  quarrel  ;  and  I  suppose  that  she 
was  right,  for  when  she  was  gone  we  fell  at  once  into 
a  sort  of  confidentiality. 

Northmour  stared  after  her  as  she  went  away  over 
the  sand-hill. 

"  She  is  the  only  woman  in  the  world  !  "  he  exclaimed 
with  an  oath.     "  Look  at  her  action." 

I,  for  my  part,  leaped  at  this  opportunity  for  a  little 
further  light. 

"  See  here,  Northmour,"  said  I  ;  "  we  are  all  in  a 
tight  place,  are  we  not  ?  " 

"  I  believe  you,  my  boy,"  he  answered,  looking  me 
in  the  eyes,  and  with  great  emphasis.  "  We  have  all 
hell  upon  us,  that's  the  truth.  You  may  believe  me 
or  not,  but  I'm  afraid  of  my  life." 

"  Tell  me  one  thing,"  said  I.  "  What  are  they  after, 
these  Italians?  What  do  they  want  with  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone  ? " 

"Don't  you  know?''  he  cried.  "The  black  old 
scamp  had  carbonaro  funds  on  a  deposit — two  hundred 
and  eighty  thousand  ;  and  of  course  he  gambled  it 
away  on  stocks.  There  was  to  have  been  a  revolution 
in  the  Tridentino,  or  Parma  ;  but  the  revolution  is  off, 
and  the  whole  wasp's  nest  is  after  Huddlestone.  We 
shall  all  be  lucky  if  we  can  save  our  skins." 

"The  carbonari  I"  J-  exclaimed:  "God  help  him 
indeed !  " 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  215 

"  Amen  ! "  said  Northmour.  "  And  now,  look 
here:  I  have  said  that  we  are  in  a  fix  ;  and,  frankly,  I 
shall  be  glad  of  your  help.  If  I  can't  save  Huddle- 
stone,  I  want  at  least  to  save  the  girl.  Come  and  stay 
in  the  pavilion  ;  and,  there's  my  hand  on  it,  I  shall 
act  as  your  friend  until  the  old  man  is  either  clear  or 
dead.  But,"  he  added,  "  once  that  is  settled,  you 
become  my  rival  once  again,  and  I  warn  you — mind 
yourself." 

"  Done  !  "  said  I  ;  and  we  shook  hands. 

"  And  now  let  us  go  directly  to  the  fort,"  said 
Northmour  ;  and  he  began  to  lead  the  way  through 
the  rain. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TELLS  OF  MY  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  TALL  MAN. 

We  were  admitted  to  the  pavilion  by  Clara,  and  I 
was  surprised  by  the  completeness  and  security  of  the 
defences.  A  barricade  of  great  strength,  and  yet 
easy  to  displace,  supported  the  door  against  any  vio- 
lence from  without  ;  and  the  shutters  of  the  dining- 
room,  into  which  I  was  led  directly,  and  which  was 
feebly  illuminated  by  a  lamp,  were  even  more  elabo- 
rately fortified.  The  panels  were  strengthened  by 
bars  and  cross-bars  ;  and  these,  in  their  turn,  were 
kept  in  position  by  a  system  of  braces  and  struts,  some 
abutting  on  the  floor,  some  on  the  roof,  and  others,  in 
fine,  against  the  opposite  wall  of  the  apartment.  It 
was  at  once  a  solid  and  well-designed  piece  of  carpen- 
try ;  and  I  did  not  seek  to  conceal  my  admiration. 

"  I  am  the  engineer,"  said  Northmour.  "  You 
remember  the  planks  in  the  garden  ?  Behold 
them  ? " 

"  I  did  not  know  you  had  so  many  talents,"  said    I. 

"  Are  you  armed  ?  "  he  continued,  pointing  to  an 
array  of  guns  and  pistols,  all  in  admirable  order,  which 
stood  in  line  against  the  wall  or  were  displayed  upon 
the  sideboard. 

"  Thank  you,"  I  returned  ;  "  I  have  gone  armed 
since  our  last  encounter.  But,  to  tell  you  the  truth, 
I  have  had  nothing  to  eat  since  early  yesterday 
evening." 

Northmour  produced  some  cold  meat,  to  which  I 
eagerly  set  myself,  and  a  bottle  of  good  Burgundy,  by 
which,  wet  as  I  was,  I  did  not  scruple  to  profit.  I 
have  always  been  an  extreme  temperance  man  on  prin- 
ciple ;  but  it  is  useless  to  push  principle  to  excess, 
and  en  this  occasion  I  believe  that  I  finished  three- 
216 


THE  PA  VILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  217 

quarters  of  the  bottle.  As  I  ate,  I  still  continued  to 
admire  the  preparations  for  defence. 

"  We  could  stand  a  siege,"  I  said  at  length. 

uYe — es,"  drawled  Northmour  ;  "a  very  little  one, 
per — haps.  It  is  not  so  much  the  strength  of  the 
pavilion  I  misdoubt  ;  it  is  the  double  danger  that  kills 
me.  If  we  get  to  shooting,  wild  as  the  country  is  some 
one  is  sure  to  hear  it,  and  then — why  then  it's  the  same 
thing,  only  different,  as  they  say,  caged  by  law,  or 
killed  by  carbonari.  There's  the  choice.  It  is  a  devil- 
ish bad  thing  to  have  the  law  against  you  in  this 
world,  and  so  I  tell  the  old  gentleman  up  stairs.  He  is 
quite  of  my  way  of  thinking." 

"  Speaking  of  that,"  said  I,  "  what  kind  of  person 
is  he." 

"  Oh,  he  ?  "  cried  the  other  ;  "  he's  a  rancid  fellow 
as  far  as  he  goes.  I  should  like  to  have  his  neck 
wrung  to-morrow  by  all  the  devils  in  Italy.  I  am  not 
in  this  affair  for  him.  You  take  me  ?  I  made  a  bar- 
gain for  Missy's  hand  and  I  mean  to  have  it  too." 

"That,  by  the  way,"  said  I,  "I  understand.  But 
how  will  Mr.  Huddlestone  take  my  intrusion?" 

"  Leave  that  to  Clara,"  returned  Northmour. 

I  could  have  struck  him  in  the  face  for  this  coarse 
familiarity  ;  but  I  respected  the  truce,  as,  I  am  bound  to 
say,  did  Northmour,  and  so  long  as  the  danger  con- 
tinued not  a  cloud  arose  in  our  relation.  I  bear  him 
this  testimony  with  the  most  unfeigned  satisfaction  ; 
nor  am  I  without  pride  when  I  look  back  upon  my  own 
behavior.  For  surely  no  two  men  were  ever  left  in  a 
position  so  invidious  and  irritating. 

As  soon  as  I  had  done  eating,  we  proceeded  to 
inspect  the  lower  floor.  Window  by  window  we  tried 
the  different  supports,  now  and  then  making  an  incon- 
siderable change  ;  and  the  strokes  of  the  hammer 
sounded  with  startling  loudness  through  the  house.  I 
proposed,  I  remember,  to  make  loopholes  ;  but  he 
told  me  they  were  already  made  in  the  windows  of  the 
upper  story.    It  was  an  anxious  business  this  inspection, 


nS  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

and  left  me  down-hearted.  There  were  two  doors  and 
five  windows  to  protect,  and,  counting  Clara,  only 
four  of  us  to  defend  thein  against  an  unknown  number 
of  foes,  [communicated  my  doubts  to  Nortlimour, 
who  assured  me,  with  unmoved  composure,  that  he 
entirely  shared  them. 

Before  morning,"  said  he,  "we  shall  all  be  butch- 
ered and  buried  in  Graden  Floe.  For  me,  that  is 
written." 

I  could  not  help  shuddering  at  the  mention  of  the 
quicksand,  but  reminded  Northmour  that  our  enemies 
had  spared  me  in  the  wood. 

"  Do  not  flatter  yourself,"  said  he.  "  Then  you 
were  not  in  the  same  boat  with  the  old  gentleman; 
now  you  are.  It's  the  floe  for  all  of  us,  mark  my 
words." 

I  trembled  for  Clara;  and  just  then  her  dear  voice 
was  heard  calling  us  to  come  upstairs.  Northmour 
showed  me  the  way,  and,  when  he  had  reached  the 
landing,  knocked  at  the  door  of  what  used  to  be  called 
My  Uncle  s  Bedroom,  as  the  founder  of  the  pavilion 
had  designed  it  especially  for  himself. 

"Come  in,  Northmour;  come  in,  dear  Mr.  Cassilis," 
said  a  voice  from  within. 

Pushing  open  the  door,  Northmour  admitted  me 
before  him  into  the  apartment.  As  I  came  in  I  could 
see  the  daughter  slipping  out  by  the  side  door  into  the 
study,  which  had  been  prepared  as  her  bedroom.  In 
the  bed,  which  was  drawn  back  against  the  wall,  instead 
of  standing,  as  I  had  last  seen  it,  boldly  across  the 
window,  sat  Bernard  Huddlestone,  the  defaulting 
banker.  Little  as  I  had  seen  of  him  by  the  shifting 
light  of  the  lantern  on  the  links,  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
recognizing  him  for  the  same.  He  had  a  long  and 
sallow  countenance,  surrounded  by  a  long  red  beard 
and  side-whiskers.  His  broken  nose  and  high  cheek- 
bones gave  him  somewhat  the  air  of  a  Kalmuck,  and 
his  light  eyes  shone  with  the  excitement  of  a  high 
fever.     He  wore  a   skull-cap   of   black    silk;  a  huge 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  219 

Bible  lay  open  before  him  on  the  bed,  with  a  pair  of 
gold  spectacles  in  the  place,  and  a  pile  of  other  books 
lay  on  the  stand  by  hi?  side.  The  green  curtains  lent 
a  cadaverous  shade  to  his  cheek ;  and,  as  he  sat  propped 
on  pillows,  his  great  stature  was  painfully  hunched,  and 
his  head  protruded  till  it  overhung  his  knees.  I  believe 
if  he  had  not  died  otherwise,  he  must  have  fallen  a 
victim  to  consumption  in  the  course  of  but  a  very  few 
weeks. 

He  held  out  to  me  a  hand,  long,  thin,  and  disagree- 
ably hairy. 

'  Come  in,  come  in,  Mr.  Cassilis,"  said  he.  *'  Another 
protector — ahem  ! — another  protector.  Always  wel- 
come as  a  friend  of  my  daughter's,  Mr.  Cassilis.  How 
they  have^  rallied  about  me,  my  daughter's  friends  I 
May  God  in  heaven  bless  and  reward  them  for  it !  '* 

1  gave  him  my  hand,  of  course,  because  I  could  not 
help  it;  but  the  sympathy  I  had  been  prepared  to  feel 
for  Clara's  father  was  immediately  soured  by  his 
appearance,  and  the  wheedling,  unreal  tones  in  which 
he  spoke. 

"  Cassilis  is  a  good  man,"  said  Northmour;  "worth 
ten." 

"So  I  hear,"  cried  Mr.  Huddlestone  eagerly;  "so 
my  girl  tells  me.  Ah,  Mr.  Cassilis,  my  sin  has  found 
me  out,  you  see  !  I  am  very  low,  very  low;  but  I  hope 
equally  penitent.  We  must  all  come  to  the  throne  of 
grace  at  last,  Mr.  Cassilis.  For  my  part,  I  come  late 
indeed;  but  with  unfeigned  humility,  I  trust." 

"  Fiddle-de-dee  !  "  said  Northmour  roughly. 

"  No,  no,  dear  Northmour  !  "  cried  the  banker.  "  You 
must  not  say  that;  you  must  not  try  to  shake  me.  You 
forget,  my  dear,  good  boy,  you  forget  I  may  be  called 
this  very  night  before  my  Maker." 

His  excitement  was  pitiful  to  behold;  and  I  felt 
myself  grow  indignant  with  Northmour,  whose  infidel 
opinions  I  well  knew,  and  heartily  derided,  as  he  con- 
tinued to  taunt  the  poor  sinner  out  of  his  humor  0/ 
repentance. 


220  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"  Pooh,  my  dear  Iluddlcstonc  !  "  said  he.  "  You  do 
yourself  injustice.  You  are  a  man  of  the  world  inside 
and  out,  and  were  up  to  all  kinds  of  mischief  before  I 
was  born.  Your  conscience  is  tanned  like  South 
American  leather — only  you  forgot  to  tan  your  liver, 
and  that,  if  you  will  believe  me,  is  the  seat  of  the 
annoyance." 

"  Rogue,  rogue  !  bad  boy  !  "  said  Mr.  Iluddlestone, 
shaking  his  finger.  "  I  am  no  precisian,  if  you  come 
to  that  ;  I  always  hated  a  precisian  ;  but  I  never  lost 
hold  of  something  better  though  it  all.  I  have  been 
a  bad  boy,  Mr.  Cassilis  ;  I  do  not  seek  to  deny  that  ; 
but  it  was  after  my  wife's  death,  and  you  know,  with  a 
widower,  it's  a  different  thing  :  Sinful — I  won't  say  no, 
but  there  is  a  gradation,  we  shall  hope.     And  talking 

of  that Hark  !  "  he  broke  out  suddenly,  his  hand 

raised,  his  fingers  spread,  his  face  racked  with  interest 
and  terror.  Only  the  rain,  bless  God  ! ''  he  added, 
after  a  pause,  and  with  indescribable  relief. 

For  some  seconds  he  lay  back  among  the  pillows 
like  a  man  near  to  fainting  ;  then  he  gathered  himself 
together,  and,  in  somewhat  tremulous  tones,  began  once 
more  to  thank  me  for  the  share  I  was  prepared  to  take 
in  his  defence. 

"  One  question,  sir,"  said  I,  when  he  had  paused. 
"Is  it  true  that  you  have  money  with  you  ?" 

He  seemed  annoyed  by  the  question,  but  admitted 
with  reluctance  that  he  had  a  little. 

"  Well,"  I  continued,  "  it  is  their  money  they  are 
after,  is  it  not  ?     Why  not  give  it  up  to  them  ?" 

"Ah  !  "  replied  he,  shaking  his  head,  '*  I  have  tried 
that  already,  Mr.  Cassilis;  and  alas  !  that  it  should  be 
so,  but  it  is  blood  they  want." 

"  Huddlestone,  that's  a  little  less  than  fair,"  said 
Northmour.  "You  should  mention  that  what  you 
offered  them  was  upwards  of  two  hundred  thousand 
short.  The  deficit  is  worth  a  reference;  it  is  for  what 
they  call  a  cool  sum,  Frank.  Then,  you  see,  the  fel- 
lows reason  in  their  clear  Italian  way;  and  it  seems  to 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  221 

them,  as  indeed  it  seems  to  me,  that  they  may  just  at 
well  have  both  while  they  are  about  it — money  and 
blood  together,  by  George,  and  no  more  trouble  for  the 
extra  pleasure." 

*'  Is  it  in  the  pavilion  ? "  I  asked. 

"  It  is  ;  and  I  wish  it  was  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
instead,"  said  Northmour;  and  then  suddenly — "What 
are  you  making  faces  at  me  for  ?"  he  cried  to  Mr.  Hud- 
dlestone,  on  whom  I  had  unconsciously  turned  my 
back.     "  Do  you  think  Cassilis  would  sell  you  ?" 

Mr.  Huddlestone  protested  that  nothing  had  been 
further  from  his  mind. 

"It  is  a  good  thing,"  retorted  Northmour  in  his 
ugliest  manner.  "  You  might  end  by  wearying  us. 
What  were  you  going  to  say  ?  "  he  added,  turning  to 
me. 

"  I  was  going  to  propose  an  occupation  for  the  after- 
noon," said  I.  "  Let  us  carry  that  money  out,  piece  by 
piece,  and  lay  it  down  before  the  pavilion  door.  If  the 
carbonari  come,  why,  it's  theirs  at  any  rate." 

"No,  no,"  cried  Mr.  Huddlestone;  "it  does  not,  it 
cannot  belong  to  them  !  It  should  be  distributed  pro 
rata  among  all  my  creditors." 

"  Come,  now,  Huddlestone."  said  Northmour,  "  none 
of  that." 

"  Well,  but  my  daughter,"  moaned  the  wretched 
man. 

"  Your  daughter  will  do  well  enough.  Here  are  two 
suitors,  Cassilis  and  I,  neither  of  us  beggars,  between 
whom  she  has  to  choose.  And  as  for  yourself,  to 
make  an  end  of  arguments,  you  have  no  right  to  a 
farthing,  and,  unless  I'm  much  mistaken,  you  are  going 
to  die." 

It  was  certainly  very  cruelly  said  ',  but  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone was  a  man  who  attracted  little  sympathy  ;  and, 
although  I  saw  him  wince  and  shudder,  I  mentally 
endorsed  the  rebuke  •  nay,  I  added  a  contribution  of 
my  own. 

"  Northmour  and  I,"  I  said,  "  are  willing  enough  to 


222  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

help  you  to  save  your  life,  but  not  to  escape  with  stolen 
property." 

He  struggled  for  a  while  with  himself,  as  though  he 

were  on  the  point  of  giving  way  to  anger,  but  prudence 
had  the  best  of  the  controversy. 

"  My  dear  boys,"  he  said,  "do  with  me  or  my  money 
what  you  will.  I  leave  all  in  your  hands.  Let  me  com- 
pose myself." 

And  so  we  left  him,  gladly  enough  I  am  sure.  The 
last  that  I  saw,  he  had  once  more  taken  up  his  great 
Bible,  and  with  tremulous  hands  was  adjusting  his 
spectacles  to  read. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TELLS   HOW    A    WORD    WAS   CRIED    THROUGH    THE 
PAVILION    WINDOW. 

The  recollection  of  that  afternoon  will  always  be 
graven  on  my  mind.  Northmour  and  I  were  persuaded 
that  an  attack  was  imminent;  and  if  it  had  been  in  our 
power  to  alter  in  any  way  the  order  of  events,  that 
power  would  have  been  used  to  precipitate  rather  than 
delay  the  critical  moment.  The  worst  was  to  be  antic- 
ipated ;  yet  we  could  conceive  no  extremity  so 
miserable  as  the  suspense  we  were  now  suffering.  I 
have  never  been  an  eager,  though  always  a  great,  reader; 
but  I  never  knew  books  so  insipid  as  those  which  I 
took  up  and  cast  aside  that  afternoon  in  the  pavilion. 
Even  talk  became  impossible,  as  the  hours  went  on. 
One  or  other  was  always  listening  for  some  sound,  or 
peering  from  an  upstairs  window  over  the  links.  And 
yet  not  a  sign  indicated  the  presence  of  our  foes. 

We  debated  over  and  over  again  my  proposal  with 
regard  to  the  money;  and  had  we  been  in  complete  pos- 
session of  our  faculties,  I  am  sure  we  should  have  con- 
demned it  as  unwise  ;  but  we  were  flustered  with 
alarm,  grasped  at  a  straw,  and  determined,  although  it 
was  as  much  as  advertising  Mr.  Huddlestone's  pres- 
ence in  the  pavilion,  to  carry  my  proposal  into  effect. 

The  sum  was  part  in  specie,  part  in  bank  paper,  and 
part  in  circular  notes,  payable  to  the  name  of  James 
Gregory.  We  took  it  out,  counted  it,  enclosed  it  once 
more  in  a  despatch-box  belonging  to  Northmour,  and 
prepared  a  letter  in  Italian  which  he  tied  to  the  handle. 
It  was  signed  by  both  of  us  under  oath,  and  declared 
that  this  was  all  the  money  which  had  escaped  the 
failure  of  the  house  of  Huddlestone.  This  was,  per* 
223 


I  -4  NE  W  ARABIAN  NIGH  VS. 

Imps,  the  maddest  action  ever  perpetrated  by  two  per- 
sons  professing  to  be  sane.     Had  th  ■  d  spatch-box 

fallen  into  other  hands  than  those  fcr  which  it  was 
intended,  we  stood  criminally  convicted  on   our  own 

written  testimony  ;  but,  as  1  have  said,  we  were  neither 
of  us  in  a  condition  to  judge  soberly,  and  had  a  thirst 
for  action  that  drove  us  to  do  something,  right  or 
wrong,  rather  than  endure  the  agony  of  waiting. 
Moreover,  as  we  were  both  COnvini  ed  that  the  hollows 
of  the  links  were  alive  with  hidden  spies  upon  our 
movements,  we  hoped  that  our  appearance  with  the 
box  might  lead  to  a  parley,  and,  perhaps,  a  com- 
promise. 

It  was  nearly  three  when  we  issued  from  the 
pavilion.  The  rain  had  taken  off ;  the  sun  shone 
quite  cheerfully.  I  have  never  seen  the  gulls  fly  so 
close  about  the  house  or  approach  so  fearlessly  to 
human  beings.  On  the  very  doorstep  one  flapped 
heavily  past  our  heads,  and  uttered  its  wild  cry  in  my 
very  ear. 

"  There  is  an  omen  for  you,"  said  Northmour, 
who  like  all  freethinkers  was  much  under  the  influ- 
ence of  superstition.  "  They  think  we  are  already 
dead." 

I  made  some  light  rejoinder,  but  it  was  with  half 
my  heart ;  for  the  circumstance  had  impressed  me. 

A  yard  or  two  before  the  gate,  on  a  patch  of  smooth 
turf,  we  set  down  the  despatch  box  ;  and  Northmour 
waved  a  white  handkerchief  over  his  head.  Nothing 
replied.  We  raised  our  voices,  and  cried  aloud  in 
Italian  that  we  were  there  as  ambassadors  to  arrange 
the  quarrel  ;  but  the  stillness  remained  unbroken  save 
by  the  sea-gulls  and  the  surf.  I  had  a  weight  at  my 
heart  when  we  desisted  ;  and  I  saw  that  even  North- 
mour was  unusually  pale.  He  looked  over  his  shoulder 
nervously,  as  though  he  feared  that  some  one  had  crept 
between  him  and  the'pavilion  door. 

"  By  God,"  he  said  in  a  whisper,  "  this  is  too  much 
for  me  ! " 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  225 

I  replied  in  the  same  key :  "Suppose  there  should 
be  none,  after  all !  " 

"Look  there,"  he  returned,  nodding  with  his  head, 
as  though  he  had  been  afraid  to  point. 

I  glanced  in  the  direction  indicated ;  and  there, 
from  the  northern  corner  of  the  Sea-Wood,  beheld  a 
thin  column  of  smoke  rising  steadily  against  the  now 
cloudless  sky. 

"  Northmour,"  I  said  (we  still  continued  to  talk  in 
whispers),  "  it  is  not  possible  to  endure  this  suspense. 
I  prefer  death  fifty  times  over.  Stay  you  here  to  watch 
the  pavilion  ;  I  will  go  forward  and  make  sure,  if  I 
have  to  walk  right  into  their  camp." 

He  looked  once  again  all  around  him  with  puckered 
eyes,  and  then  nodded  assentingly  to  my  proposal. 

My  heart  beat  like  a  sledge-hammer  as  I  set  out 
walking  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  smoke  ;  and 
though  up  to  that  moment  I  had  felt  chill  and  shiver- 
ing, I  was  suddenly  conscious  of  a  glow  of  heat  over 
all  my  body.  The  ground  in  this  direction  was  very 
uneven  ;  a  hundred  men  might  have  lain  hidden  in  as 
many  square  yards  about  my  path.  But  I  had  not  prac- 
ticed the  business  in  vain,  chose  such  routes  as  cut  at 
the  very  root  of  concealment,  and,  by  keeping  along 
the  most  convenient-  ridges,  commanded  several  hol- 
lows at  a  time.  It  was  not  long  before  I  was  rewarded 
for  my  caution.  Coming  suddenly  on  to  a  mound 
somewhat  more  elevated  than  the  surrounding  hum- 
mocks I  saw,  not  thirty  yards  away,  a  man  bent  almost 
double,  and  running  as  fast  as  his  attitude  permitted, 
along  the  bottom  of  a  gully.  I  had  dislodged  one  of 
the  spies  from  his  ambush.  As  soon  as  I  sighted  him, 
I  called  loudly  both  in  English  and  Italian  ;  and  he, 
seeing  concealment  was  no  longer  possible,  straight- 
ened himself  out,  leaped  from  the  gully,  and  made 
off  as  straight  as  an  arrow  for  the  borders  of  the 
wood. 

It  was  none  of  my  business  to  pursue;  I  had  learned 
what  I  wanted — that  we  were  beleaguered  and  watched 


226  W  ARAB1  l\   NIGHTS. 

in  the  pavilion;  and  I  returned  at  once,  and  walking 
as  nearly  as  possible  in  my  old  footsteps,  to  where 
Northmour  awaited  me  beside  the  despatch-box.  He 
w.is  even  paler  than  when  I  had  left  him  and  his  voice 
shook  a  little. 

"  Could  you  see  what  he  was  like?"  he  asked. 

"  He  kept  his  back  turned,"    1  replied. 

"Let  us  go  into  the  house,  Frank.  I  don't  think 
I'm  a  coward,  but  I  can  stand  no  more  of  this,"  he 
whispered. 

All  was  still  and  sunshiny  about  the  pavilion  as  we 
turned  to  re-enter  it;  even  the  gulls  had  flown  in  a 
wider  circuit,  and  were  seen  flickering  along  the  beach 
and  sand-hills;  and  this  loneliness  terrified  me  more 
than  a  regiment  under  arms.  It  was  not  until  the  door 
was  barricaded  that  I  could  draw  a  full  inspiration  and 
relieve  the  weight  that  lay  upon  my  bosom.  North- 
mour and  I  exchanged  a  steady  glance;  and  I  suppose 
each  made  his  own  reflections  on  the  white  and 
startled  aspect  of  the  other. 

'*  You  were  right,"  I  said.  "  All  is  over.  Shake 
hands,  old  man,  for  the  last  time." 

"  Yes,''  replied  he,  "  I  will  shake  hands;  for.  as  sur< 
as  I  am  here,  I  bear  no  malice.  But,  remember,  if,  by 
some  impossible  accident,  we  should  give  the  slip  tc 
these  blackguards,  I'll  take  the  upper  hand  of  you  by 
fair  or  foul." 

"  Oh,"  said  I,  "  you  weary  me." 

He  seemed  hurt,  and  walked  away  in  silence  to  the 
foot  of  the  stairs,  where  he  paused. 

"  You  do  not  understand  me,"  said  he,  *'  I  am  not  a 
swindler,  and  I  guard  myself;  that  is  all.  It  may 
weary  you  or  not,  Mr.  Cassilis,  I  do  not  care  a  rush:  I 
speak  for  my  own  satisfaction,  and  not  for  your  amuse- 
ment. You  had  better  go  upstairs  and  court  the  girl; 
for  my  part,  I  stay  here." 

''  And  I  stay  with  you,"  I  returned.  "Do  you  think 
I  would  steal  a  march,  even  with  your  permission?" 

"  Frank,"  he  said,  smiling,  "  it's  a  pity  you  are  an 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  227 

ass,  for  you  have  the  makings  of  a  man.  I  think  I 
must  be  fey  to-day  ;  you  cannot  irritate  me,  even  when 
you  try.  Do  you  know,"  he  continued  softly,  "  I  think 
we  are  the  two  most  miserable  men  in  England,  you  and 
I  ?  we  have  got  on  to  thirty  without  wife  or  child,  or  so 
much  as  a  shop  to  look  after — poor,  pitiful,  lost  devils, 
both  !  And  now  we  clash  about  a  girl  !  As  if  there 
were  not  several  millions  in  the  United  Kingdom  ! 
Ah,  Frank,  Frank,  the  one  who  loses  his  throw,  be  it 
you  or  me,  he  has  my  pity  !  It  were  better  for  him — 
how  does  the  Bible  say  ? — that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck  and  he  were  cast  into  the  depth  of  the 
sea.  Let  us  take  a  drink,"  he  concluded  suddenly, 
but  without  any  levity  of  tone. 

I  was  touched  by  his  words,  and  consented.  He  sat 
down  on  the  table  in  the  dining-room,  and  held  up  the 
glass  of  sherry  to  his  eye. 

"  If  you  beat  me,  Frank,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  take  to 
drink.     What  will  you  do,  if  it  goes  the  other  way  ?  " 

"  God  knows,"  I  returned. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  here  is  a  toast  in  the  meantime  : 
'  Italia  irredenta  !  '  " 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  passed  in  the  same 
dreadful  tedium  and  suspense.  I  laid  the  table  for 
dinner,  while  Northmour  and  Clara  prepared  the  meal 
together  in  the  kitchen.  I  could  hear  their  talk  as  I 
went  to  and  fro,  and  was  surprised  to  find  it  ran  all 
the  time  upon  myself.  Northmour  again  bracketed  us 
together,  and  rallied  Clara  on  a  choice  of  husbands  ; 
but  he  continued  to  speak  of  me  with  some  feeling,  and 
uttered  nothing  to  my  prejudice  unless  he  included 
himself  in  the  condemnation.  This  awakened  a  sense 
of  gratitude  in  my  heart,  which  combined  with  the 
immediateness  of  our  peril  to  fill  my  eyes  with  tears. 
After  all,  I  thought — and  perhaps  the  thought  was 
laughably  vain — we  were  here  three  very  noble  human 
beings  to  perish  in  defense  of  a  thieving  banker. 

Before  we  sat  down  to  table,  I  looked  forth  from  an 
upstairs  window.     The  day  was  beginning  to  decline  ; 


:  1 8  X/-: l V  A R. \BIAN  NIGH TS. 

the  links  were  utterly  deserted;  the  despatch-box  still 

lay  untouched  where  we  had  left  it  hours  before. 

Mr.  Huddlestone,  in  a  long  yellow  dressing-gown, 
took  one  end  of  the  table,  Clara  the  other;  while  North- 
niour  and  1  faced  each  other  from  the  sides.  The 
lamp  was  brightly  trimmed;  the  wine  was  good;  the 
viands,  although  mostly  cold,  excellent  of  their  sort. 
We  seemed  to  have  agreed  tacitly;  all  reference  to  the 
impending  catastrophe  was  carefully  avoided;  and, 
considering  our  tragic  circumstances,  we  made  a  mer- 
rier party  than  could  have  been  expected.  From  time 
to  time,  it  is  true,  Northmour  or  I  would  rise  from  the 
table  and  make  a  round  of  the  defences;  and,  on  each 
of  these  occasions  Mr.  Huddlestone  was  recalled  to  a 
sense  of  his  tragic  predicament,  glanced  up  with 
ghastly  eyes,  and  bore  for  an  instant  on  his  counten- 
ance the  stamp  of  terror.  But  he  hastened  to  empty 
his  glass,  wiped  his  forehead  with  his  handkerchief, 
and  joined  again  in  the  conversation. 

I  was  astonished  at  the  wit  and  information  he  dis- 
played. Mr.  Huddlestone's  was  certainly  no  ordinary 
character;  he  had  read  and  observed  for  himself;  his 
gifts  were  sound;  and,  though  I  could  never  have 
learned  to  love  the  man,  I  began  to  understand 
his  success  in  business,  and  the  great  respect 
in  which  he  had  been  held  before  his  failure.  He  had, 
above  all,  the  talent  of  society;  and  though  I  never 
heard  him  speak  but  on  this  one  and  most  unfavorable 
occasion,  I  set  him  down  among  the  most  brilliant 
conversationalists  I  ever  met. 

He  was  relating  with  great  gusto,  and  seemingly  no 
feeling  of  shame,  the  manoeuvres  of  a  scoundrelly 
commission  merchant  whom  he  had  known  and  stud- 
ied in  his  youth,  and  we  were  all  listening  with  an  odd 
mixture  of  mirth  and  embarrassment,  when  our  little 
party  was  brought  abruptly  to  an  end  in  the  most 
startling  manner. 

A  noise  like  that  of  a  wet  finger  on  the  window-pane 
interrupted  Mr.  Huddlestone's  tale  ;  and  in  an  instant 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  229 

we  were  all  four  as  white  as  paper,  and  sat  tongue-tied 
and  motionless  round  the  table. 

"  A  snail,"  I  said  at  last ;  for  I  had  heard  that  these 
animals  make  a  noise  somewhat  similar  in  character. 

"  Snail  be  d — d  !"  said  Northmour.     "  Hush  !" 

The  same  sound  was  repeated  twice  at  regular  inter- 
vals ;  and  then  a  formidable  voice  shouted  through  the 
shutters  the  Italian  word  "  Traditore  /" 

Mr.  Huddlestone  threw  his  head  in  the  air  ;  his 
eyelids  quivered  ;  next  moment  he  fell  insensible  below 
the  table.  Northmour  and  I  had  each  run  to  the  arm- 
ory and  seized  a  gun.  Clara  was  on  her  feet  with  her 
hand  at  her  throat. 

So  we  stood  waiting,  for  we  thought  the  hour  of 
attack  was  certainly  come  ;  but  second  passed  after 
second,  and  all  but  the  surf  remained  silent  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  pavilion. 

"  Quick,"  said  Northmour  ;  "  upstairs  with  him 
before  they  come." 


CHAPTER  VI IT. 

TELLS    THE    I. AST    OF    THE    TALL    MAN. 

Somehow  or  other,  by  hook  and  crook,  and  between 
the  three  of  us,  we  got  Bernard  Huddlestone  bundled 
upstairs  and  laid  upon  the  bed  in  My  Uncles  Room. 
During  the  whole  process,  which  was  rough  enough,  he 
gave  no  sign  of  consciousness,  and  he  remained,  as  we 
had  thrown  him,  without  changing  the  position  of  a 
finger.  His  daughter  opened  his  shirt  and  began  to 
wet  his  head  and  bosom  ;  while  Northmour  and  I  ran 
to  the  window.  The  weather  continued  clear  ;  the 
moon,  which  was  now  about  full,  had  risen  and  shed  a 
very  clear  light  upon  the  links  ;  yet,  strain  our  eyes  as 
we  might,  we  could  distinguish  nothing  moving.  A  few 
dark  spots,  more  or  less,  on  the  uneven  expanse  were 
not  to  be  identified  ;  they  might  be  crouching  men, 
they  might  be  shadows ;  it  was  impossible  to  be 
sure. 

"  Thank  God,"  said  Northmour,  "  Aggie  is  not 
coming  to-night." 

Aggie  was  the  name  of  the  old  nurse  ;  he  had  not 
thought  of  her  till  now  ;  but  that  he  should  think  of 
her  at  all,  was  a  trait  that  surprised  me  in  the  man. 

We  were  again  reduced  to  waiting.  Northmour  went 
to  the  fireplace  and  spread  his  hands  before  the  red 
embers,  as  if  he  were  cold.  I  followed  him  mechan- 
ically with  my  eyes,  and  in  so  doing  turned  my  back 
upon  the  window.  At  that  moment  a  very  faint  report 
was  audible  from  without,  and  a  ball  shivered  a  pane 
of  glass,  and  buried  itself  in  the  shutter  two  inches 
from  my  head.  I  heard  Clara  scream  ;  and  though  I 
whipped  instantly  out  of  range  and  into  a  corner,  she 
was  there,  so  to  speak,  before  me,  beseeching  to  know 
if  I  were  hurt.  I  felt  that  I  could  stand  to  be  shot  at 
every  day  and  all  day  long,  with  such  marks  of  solici- 
230 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  231 

««ide  for  a  reward  ;  and  I  continued  to  reassure  her, 
with  the  tenderest  caresses  and  in  complete  forgetful- 
ness  of  our  situation,  till  the  voice  of  Northmoui 
recalled  me  to  myself. 

"  An  air-gun,"  he  said.  "  They  wish  to  make  no 
noise." 

I  put  Clara  aside,  and  looked  at  him.  He  was  stand- 
ing with  his  back  to  the  fire  and  his  hands  clasped 
behind  him  ;  and  I  knew  by  the  black  look  on  his  face, 
that  passion  was  boiling  within.  I  had  seen  just  such 
a  look  before  he  attacked  me,  that  March  night,  in  the 
adjoining  chamber  ;  and,  though  I  could  make  every 
allowance  for  his  anger,  I  confess  I  trembled  for  the 
consequences.  He  gazed  straight  before  him  ;  but  he 
could  see  us  with  the  tail  of  his  eye,  and  his  temper 
kept  rising  like  a  gale  of  wind.  With  regular  battle 
awaiting  us  outside,  this  prospect  of  an  internecine  strife 
within  the  walls  began  to  daunt  me. 

Suddenly,  as  I  was  thus  closely  watching  his  expres- 
sion and  prepared  against  the  worst,  I  saw  a  change,  a 
flash,  a  look  of  relief,  upon  his  face.  He  took  up  the 
lamp  which  stood  beside  him  on  the  table,  and  turned 
to  us  with  an  air  of  some  excitement. 

"  There  is  one  point  that  we  must  know,"  said  he. 
"  Are  they  going  to  butcher  the  lot  of  us,  or  only 
Huddlestone  ?  Did  they  take  you  for  him,  or  fire  at  you 
for  your  own  beaux  yeaux  ?" 

"  They  took  me  for  him,  for  certain,"  I  replied.  "  I 
am  near  as  tall,  and  my  head  is  fair." 

"  I  am  going  to  make  sure,"  returned  Northmour  ; 
and  he  stepped  up  to  the  window,  holding  the  lamp 
above  his  head,  and  stood  there,  quietly  affronting 
death,  for  half  a  minute. 

Clara  sought  to  rush  forward  and  pull  him  from  the 
place  of  danger  ;  but  I  had  the  pardonable  selfishness 
to  hold  her  back  by  force. 

"Yes,"  said  Northmour,  turning  coolly  from  the 
window  ;  "  it's  only  Huddlestone  they  want." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Northmour  !  "  cried  Clara  ;  but  found  no 


22,2  Nl  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

more  to  add  ;  the  temerity  she  liad  just  witnessed 
seeming  beyond  the  reach  of  words. 

He,  on  his  part,  looked  at  me,  cocking  his  head, 
with  a  tire  of  triumph  in  his  eves  ;  and  I  understood 
at  once  that  he  had  thus  hazarded  his  life,  merely  to 
attract  Clara's  notice,  and  depose  me  from  my  position 
as  the  hero  of  the  hour.     He  snapped  his  fingers. 

"  The  tire  is  only  beginning,"  he  said.  "  When  they 
warm  up  to  their  work,  they  won't  be  so  particular." 

A  voice  was  now  heard  hailing  us  from  the  entrance. 
From  the  window  we  could  see  the  figure  of  a  man  in 
the  moonlight  ;  he  stood  motionless,  his  face  uplifted 
to  ours,  and  a  rag  of  something  white  on  his  extended 
arm  ;  and  as  we  looked  right  down  upon  him,  though 
he  was  a  good  many  yards  distant  on  the  links,  we 
could  see  the  moonlight  glitter  on  his  eyes. 

He  opened  his  lips  again,  and  spoke  for  some  min- 
utes on  end,  in  a  key  so  loud  that  he  might  have  been 
heard  in  every  corner  of  the  pavilion,  and  as  far  away 
as  the  borders  of  the  wood.  It  was  the  same  voice 
that  had  already  shouted  '  Traditore!"  through  the 
shutters  of  the  dining-room  ;  this  time  it  made  a  com- 
plete and  clear  statement.  If  the  traitor  "  Oddlestone  " 
were  given  up,  all  others  should  be  spared  ;  if  not,  no 
one  should  escape  to  tell  the  tale. 

"  Well,  Huddlestone,  what  do  you  say  to  that  ? " 
asked  Northmour,  turning  to  the  bed. 

Up  to  that  moment  the  banker  had  given  no  sign  of 
life,  and  I,  at  least,  had  supposed  him  to  be  still  lying 
in  a  faint ;  but  he  replied  at  once,  and  in  such  tones 
as  I  have  never  heard  elsewhere,  save  from  a  delirious 
patient,  adjured  and  besought  us  not  to  desert  him. 
It  was  the  most  hideous  and  abject  performance  that 
my  imagination  can  conceive. 

"  Enough,"  cried  Northmour  ;  and  then  he  threw 
open  the  window,  leaned  out  into  the  night,  and  in  a 
tone  of  exultation,  and  with  a  total  forgetfulness  of 
what  was  due  to  the  presence  of  a  lady,  poured  out 
upon  the  ambassador  a  string  of  the  most  abominable 


THE  PA  VILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  233 

raillery  both  in  English  and  Italian,  and  bade  him 
be  gone  where  he  had  come  from.  I  believe  that 
nothing  so  delighted  Northmour  at  that  moment  as 
the  thought  that  we  must  all  infallibly  perish  before 
the  night  was  out. 

Meantime  the  Italian  put  his  flag  of  truce  into  his 
pocket,  and  disappeared,  at  a  leisurely  pace,  among 
the  sand-hills. 

"They  make  honorable  war,"  said  Northmour. 
"  They  are  all  gentlemen  and  soldiers.  For  the  credit 
of  the  thing,  I  wish  we  could  change  sides — you  and  I, 
Frank,  and  you  too,  Missy  my  darling — and  leave  that 
being  on  the  bed  to  some  one  else.  Tut  !  Don't  look 
shocked  !  We  are  all  going  post  to  what  they  call 
eternity,  and  may  as  well  be  above-board  while  there's 
time.  As  far  as  I'm  concerned,  if  I  could  first  strangle 
Huddlestone  and  then  get  Clara  in  my  arms,  I  could 
die  with  some  pride  and  satisfaction.  And  as  it  is,  by 
God,  I'll  have  a  kiss  !  " 

Before  I  could  do  anything  to  interfere,  he  had 
rudely  embraced  and  repeatedly  kissed  the  resisting 
girl.  Next  moment  I  had  pulled  him  away  with  fury, 
and  flung  him  heavily  against  the  wall.  He  laughed 
loud  and  long,  and  I  feared  his  wits  had  given  way 
under  the  strain  ;  for  even  in  the  best  of  days  he  had 
been  a  sparing  and  a  quiet  laugher. 

"  Now,  Frank,"  said  he,  when  his  mirth  was  some- 
what appeased,  "  it's  your  turn.  Here's  my  hand. 
Good-bye  ;  farewell  !  "  Then,  seeing  me  stand  rigid 
and  indignant,  and  holding  Clara  to  my  side — "  Man  !  " 
he  broke  out,  "  are  you  angry  ?  Did  you  think  we 
were  going  to  die  with  all  the  airs  and  graces  of 
society  ?  I  took  a  kiss  ;  I'm  glad  I  had  it  ;  and  now 
you  can  take  another  if  you  like,  and  square  accounts." 

I  turned  from  him  with  a  feeling  of  contempt  which 
I  did  not  seek  to  dissemble. 

"  As  you  please,"  said  he.  "  You've  been  a  prig  in 
life  ;  a  prig  you'll  die." 

And  with  that  he  sat  down  in  a  chair,  a  rifle  over 


234  Atf  "'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

the  knee,  and  amused  himself  with  snapping  the  lock  ; 
but  1  could  see  that  his  ebullition  of  light  spirits  (the 
only  one  I  ever  knew  him  to  display)  had  already 
come  to  an  end,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  sullen,  scowl- 
ing humor. 

All  this  time  our  assailants  might  have  been  entering 
the  house,  and  we  been  none  the  wiser  ;  we  had  in 
truth  almost  forgotten  the  danger  that  so  imminently 
overhung  our  days.  But  just  then  Mr.  Huddlestone 
uttered  a  cry,  and  leaped  from  the  bed. 

I  asked  him  what  was  wrong. 

"Fire  !"  he  cried.  "They  have  set  the  house  on 
fire  !  " 

Northmour  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant,  and  he  and 
I  ran  through  the  door  of  communication  with  the 
study.  The  room  was  illuminated  by  a  red  and  angry 
light.  Almost  at  the  moment  of  our  entrance,  a  tower 
of  flame  arose  in  front  of  the  window,  and,  with  a 
tingling  report,  a  pane  fell  inwards  on  the  carpet. 
They  had  set  fire  to  the  lean-to  out-house,  where 
Northmour  used  to  nurse  his  negatives. 

"  Hot  work,"  said  Northmour.  "  Let  us  try  in  your 
old  room." 

We  ran  thither  in  a  breath,  threw  up  the  casement, 
and  looked  forth.  Along  the  whole  back  wall  of  the 
pavilion  piles  of  fuel  had  been  arranged  and  kindled; 
and  it  is  probable  they  had  been  drenched  with  min- 
eral oil,  for,  in  spite  of  the  morning's  rain,  they  all 
burned  bravely.  The  fire  had  taken  a  firm  hold 
already  on  the  outhouse,  which  blazed  higher  and 
higher  every  moment;  the  back  door  was  in  the  centre 
of  a  red-hot  bonfire;  the  eaves  we  could  see,  as  we 
looked  upward,  were  already  smouldering,  for  the  roof 
overhung,  and  was  supported  by  considerable  beams  of 
wood.  At  the  same  time,  hot,  pungent,  and  choking 
volumes  of  smoke  began  to  fill  the  house.  There  was 
not  a  human  being  to  be  seen  to  right  or  left. 

"  Ah,  well !  "  said  Northmour,  "  here's  the  end, 
thank  God." 


THE  PA  VI LI  ON  ON  THE  LINKS.  235 

And  we  returned  to  My  Uncle's  Room.  Mr.  Hud- 
dlestone  was  putting  on  his  boots,  still  violently 
trembling,  but  with  an  air  of  determination  such  as  I 
had  not  hitherto  observed.  Clara  stood  close  by  him, 
with  her  cloak  in  both  hands  ready  to  throw  about  her 
shoulders,  and  a  strange  look  in  her  eyes,  as  if  she  were 
half  hopeful,  half  doubtful  of  her  father. 

"Well,  boys  and  girls,"  said  Northmour,  "how 
about  a  sally  ?  The  oven  is  heating;  it  is  not  good  to 
stay  here  and  be  baked;  and,  for  my  part,  I  want  to 
come  to  my  hands  with  them,  and  be  done." 

"There  is  nothing  else  left,"  I  replied. 

And  both  Clara  and  Mr.  Huddlestone,  though  with 
a  very  different  intonation,  added,  "  Nothing." 

As  we  went  downstairs  the  heat  was  excessive,  and 
the  roaring  of  the  fire  filled  our  ears;  and  we  had 
scarce  reached  the  passage  before  the  stairs  window 
fell  in,  a  branch  of  flame  shot  brandishing  through  the 
aperture,  and  the  interior  of  the  pavili  >n  became  lit 
up  with  that  dreadful  and  fluctuating  glare.  At  the 
same  moment  we  heard  the  fall  of  something  heavy 
and  inelastic  in  the  upper  story.  The  whole  pavilion, 
it  was  plain,  had  gone  alight  like  a  box  of  matches, 
and  now  not  only  flamed  sky-high  to  land  and  sea,  but 
threatened  with  every  moment  to  crumble  and  fall  in 
about  our  ears. 

Northmour  and  I  cocked  our  revolvers.  Mr.  Hud- 
dlestone, who  had  already  refused  a  firearm,  put  us 
behind  him  with  a  manner  of  command. 

"  Let  Clara  open  the  door,"  said  he.  "  So,  if  they 
fire  a  volley,  she  will  be  protected.  And  in  the  mean- 
time stand  behind  me.  I  am  the  scapegoat;  my  sins 
have  found  me  out." 

I  heard  him,  as  I  stood  breathless  by  his  shoulder, 
with  my  pistol  ready,  pattering  off  prayers  in  a  tremu- 
lous, rapid  whisper;  and  I  confess,  horrid  as  the 
thought  may  seem,  1  despised  him  for  ihinkingof  sup- 
plications in  a  moment  so  critical  and  thrilling.  In 
the  meantime,  Clara,   who  was  dead  white   but   still 


236  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

d  her  faculties,  had  displaced  the  barricade 
from  the  front  dour.  Another  moment]  and  she  had 
pulled  it  open.  Firelight  and  moonlight  illuminated 
the  links  with  confused  and  changeful  lustre,  and  far 
away  against  the  sky  we  could  see  a  long  trail  of  glow- 
ing smoke. 

Mr.  Iluddlestone,  fdlcd  for  the  moment  with  a 
strength  greater  than  his  own,  struck  Northmour  and 
myself  a  backdiander  in  the  chest;  and  while  we  were 
thus  for  the  moment  incapacitated  from  action,  lifting 
his  arms  above  his  head  like  one  about  to  dive,  he  ran 
straight  forward  out  of  the  pavilion. 

"  Here  am  I  !  "  he  cried — "  Huddlestone  !  Kill  me, 
and  spare  the  others  !  " 

His  sudden  appearance  daunted,  I  suppose,  our 
hidden  enemies;  for  Northmour  and  I  had  time  to 
recover,  to  seize  Clara  between  us,  one  by  each  arm, 
and  to  rush  forth  to  his  assistance,  ere  anything 
further  had  taken  place.  But  scarce  had  we  passed 
the  threshold  when  there  came  near  a  dozen  reports 
and  flashes  from  every  direction  among  the  hollows  of 
the  links.  Mr.  Huddlestone  staggered,  uttered  a 
weird  and  freezing  cry,  threw  up  his  arms  over  his 
head,  and  fell  backward  on  the  turf. 

"  Traditore  !  Traditore  ! "  cried  the  invisible 
avengers. 

And  just  then,  a  part  of  the  roof  of  the  pavilion  fell 
in,  so  rapid  was  the  progress  of  the  fire.  A  loud, 
vague,  and  horrible  noise  accompanied  the  collapse, 
and  a  vast  volume  of  flame  went  soaring  up  to  heaven. 
It  must  have  been  visible  at  that  moment  from  twenty 
miles  out  at  sea,  from  the  shore  at  Graden  Wester,  and 
far  inland  from  the  peak  of  Graystiel,  the  most  eastern 
summit  of  the  Caulder  Hills.  Bernard  Huddlestone, 
although  God  knows  what  were  his  obsequies,  had  a 
fine  pyre  at  the  moment  of  his  death. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TELLS   HOW    NORTHMOUR   CARRIED     OUT    HIS   THREAT. 

I  should  have  the  greatest  difficulty  to  tell  you  what 
followed  next  after  this  tragic  circumstance.  It  is  all 
to  me,  as  I  look  back  upon  it,  mixed,  strenuous,  and 
ineffectual,  like  the  struggles  of  a  sleeper  in  a  night- 
mare. Clara,  I  remember,  uttered  a  broken  sigh  and 
would  have  fallen  forward  to  earth,  had  not  North- 
mour  and  I  supported  her  insensible  body.  I  do 
not  think  we  were  attacked ;  I  do  not  remember 
even  to  have  seen  an  assailant ;  and  I  believe  we 
deserted  Mr.  Huddlestone  without  a  glance.  I  only 
remember  running  like  a  man  in  a  panic,  now  car- 
rying Clara  altogether  in  my  own  arms,  now  shar- 
ing her  weight  with  Northmour,  now  scuffling  con- 
fusedly for  the  possession  of  that  dear  burden. 
Why  we  should  have  made  for  my  camp  in  the 
Hemlock  Den,  or  how  we  reached  it,  are  points  lost 
for  ever  to  my  recollection.  The  first  moment  at 
which  I  became  definitely  sure,  Clara  had  been  suffered 
to  fall  against  the  outside  of  my  little  tent,  Northmour 
and  I  were  tumbling  together  on  the  ground,  and  he, 
with  contained  ferocity,  was  striking  for  my  head  with 
the  butt  of  his  revolver.  He  had  already  twice 
wounded  me  on  the  scalp;  and  it  is  to  the  consequent 
loss  of  blood  that  I  am  tempted  to  attribute  the  sud- 
den clearness  of  my  mind. 

I  caught  him  by  the  wrist. 

"Northmour,"  I  remember  saying,  "you  can  kill 
me  afterwards.     Let  us  first  attend  to  Clara." 

He  was  at  that  moment  uppermost.  Scarcely  had 
the  words  passed  my  lips,  when  he  had  leaped  to  his 
feet  and  ran  towards  the  tent;  and  the  next  moment, 
237 


23S  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

he  was  straining  ("Inn   to  his  heart  and  covering  hei 

Unconscious  hands  and  \a<v  with  his  caresses. 

"  Shame  !  "   1  i  in  d.     "  Shame  to  yon,  Northmour  !  " 

And,  giddy  though  I  still  was,  I  struck  him 
repeatedly  n[>on  the  head  and  shoulders. 

lie  relinquished  his  grasp,  and  faced  me  in  the 
broken  moonlight. 

1  had  \    u  under,  nnd  let   you  go,"  said  he;  "and 
now  you  strike  me  !     Coward  !  " 

"  You  are  the  coward,"  I  retorted.  "  Did  she  wish 
your  kisses  while  she  was  still  sensible  of  what  she 
wanted  ?  Not  she  !  And  now  she  may  be  dying;  and 
you  waste  this  precious  time,  and  abuse  her  helpness- 
ness.     Stand  aside,  and  let  me  help  her." 

He  confronted  me  for  a  moment,  white  and  mena- 
cing; then  suddenly  he  stepped  aside. 

"  Help  her  then,"  said  he. 

I  threw  myself  on  my  knees  beside  her,  and  loos- 
ened, as  well  as  I  was  able,  her  dress  and  corset;  but 
while  I  was  thus  engaged,  a  grasp  descended  on  my 
shoulder. 

"  Keep  your  hands  off  her,"  said  Northmour 
fiercely.  "  Do  you  think  I  have  no  blood  in  my 
veins  ? " 

"  Northmour,"  I  cried,  "if  you  will  neither  help  her 
yourself,  nor  let  me  do  so,  do  you  know  that  I  shall 
have  to  kill  you  ?  " 

"  That  is  better  !  "  he  cried.  "  Let  her  die  also, 
where's  the  harm  ?  Step  aside  from  that  girl !  and 
stand  up  to  fight." 

"  You  will  observe,"  said  I,  half-rising,  "  that  I  have 
not  kissed  her  yet." 

"  I  dare  you  to,"  he  cried. 

I  do  not  know  what  possessed  me  ;  it  was  one  of 
the  things  I  am  most  ashamed  of  in  my  life,  though,  as 
my  wife  used  to  say,  I  knew  that  my  kisses  would  be 
always  welcome  were  she  dead  or  living;  down  I  fell 
again  upon  my  knees,  parted  the  hair  from  her  fore- 
head, and.  with  the  dearest  respect,  laid  my  lips  for  a 


THE  PA  VI LION  ON  THE  LINKS.  239 

moment  on  that  cold  brow.  It  was  such  a  caress  as  a 
father  might  have  given;  it  was  such  a  one  as  was  not 
unbecoming  from  a  man  soon  to  die  to  a  woman 
already  dead. 

"And  now,"  said  I,  "  I  am  at  your  service,  Mr. 
Northmour." 

But  I  saw,  to  my  surprise,  that  he  had  turned  his 
back  upon  me. 

'  Do  you  hear  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  do.  If  you  wish  to  fight,  I  am 
ready.  If  not,  go  on  and  save  Clara.  All  is  one  to 
me." 

I  did  not  wait  to  be  twice  bidden;  but,  stooping 
again  over  Clara,  continued  my  efforts  to  revive  her. 
She  still  lay  white  and  lifeless;  I  began  to  fear  that  her 
sweet  spirit  had  indeed  fled  beyond  recall,  and  horror 
and  a  sense  of  utter  desolation  seized  upon  my  heart. 
I  called  her  by  name  with  the  most  endearing  inflec- 
tions; I  chafed  and  beat  her  hands;  now  I  laid  her 
head  low,  now  supported  it  against  my  knee;  but  all 
seemed  to  be  in  vain,  and  the  lids  still  lay  heavy  on 
her  eyes. 

"  Northmour,"  I  said,  "there  is  my  hat.  For  God's 
sake  bring  some  water  from  the  spring." 

Almost  in  a  moment  he  was  by  my  side  with  the 
water. 

"  I  have  brought  it  in  my  own,"  he  said.  "You  do 
not  grudge  me  the  privilege  ? " 

"Northmour,"  I  was  beginning  to  say,  as  I  laved 
her  head  and  breast;  but  he  interrupted  me  savagely. 

"  Oh,  you  hush  up  !  "  he  said.  "  The  best  thing  you 
can  do  is  to  say  nothing." 

I  had  certainly  no  desire  to  talk,  my  mind  being- 
swallowed  up  in  concern  for  my  dear  love  and  her 
condition;  so  I  continued  in  silence  to  do  my  best 
towards  her  recovery,  and,  when  the  hat  was  empty, 
returned  it  to  him,  with  one  word — "  More."  He 
had,  perhaps,  gone  several  times  upon  this  errand, 
when  Clara  reopened  her  eyes. 


1 40  A'/-:  W  A  RA  B  IAN  NIGH  TS. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "since  she  is  better,  you  ran  spare 
me,  ran  you  not  ?  1  wish  you  a  good  night,  Mr. 
( 'a-silis." 

And  with  that  he  was  gone  among  the  thicket.  I 
made  a  fire,  for  I  had  now  no  fear  of  the  Italians,  who 
had  even  spared  all  the  Little  possessions  left  in  my 
encampment;  and,  broken  as  she  was  by  the  excite- 
ment and  the  hideous  catastrophe  of  the  evening,  I 
managed,  in  one  way  or  another — by  persuasion, 
encouragement,  warmth,  and  such  simple  remedies  as 
I  could  lay  my  hand  on — to  bring  her  back  to  some 
composure  of  mind  and  strength  of  body. 

Day  had  already  come,  when  a  sharp  "Hist!" 
sounded  from  the  thicket.  I  started  from  the  ground; 
but  the  voice  of  Northmour  was  heard  adding,  in  the 
most  tranquil  tones:  "Come  here,  Cassilis,  and  alone; 
I  want  to  show  you  something." 

I  consulted  Clara  with  my  eyes,  and,  receiving  her 
tacit  permission,  left  her  alone,  and  clambered  out  of 
the  den.  At  some  distance  off  I  saw  Northmour  lean- 
ing against  an  elder;  and,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  me, 
he  began  walking  seaward.  I  had  almost  overtaken 
him  as  he  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  wood. 

"  Look,"  said  he,  pausing. 

A  couple  of  steps  more  brought  me  out  of  the  foli- 
age. The  light  of  the  morning  lay  cold  and  clear  over 
that  well-known  scene.  The  pavilion  was  but  a  black- 
ened wreck;  the  roof  had  fallen  in,  one  of  the  gables 
had  fallen  out;  and,  far  and  near,  the  face  of  the  links 
was  cicatrized  with  little  patches  of  burnt  furze.  Thick 
smoke  still  went  straight  upwards  in  the  windless  air 
of  the  morning,  and  a  great  pile  of  ardent  cinders 
fdled  the  bare  walls  of  the  house,  like  coals  in  an  open 
grate.  Close  by  the  i^let  a  schooner  yacht  lay  to,  and 
a  well-manned  boat  was  pulling  vigorously  for  the  shore. 

"  The  Red  Earl.'  "  I  cried.  "The  Red  Earl  twelve 
hours  too  late  !  " 

"  Feel  in  your  pocket,  Frank.  Are  you  armed?" 
asked  Northmour. 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS.  241 

I  obeyed  him,  and  I  think  I  must  have  become 
deadly  pale.     My  revolver  had  been  taken  from  me. 

"You  see  I  have  you  in  my  power,"  he  continued. 
"  I  disarmed  you  last  night  while  you  were  nursing 
Clara;  but  this  morning — here — take  your  pistol.  No 
thanks  !  "  he  cried,  holding  up  his  hand.  "  I  do  not 
like  them;  that  is  the  only  way  you  can  annoy  me 
now." 

He  began  to  walk  forward  across  the  links  to  meet 
the  boat,  and  I  followed  a  step  or  two  behind.  In 
front  of  the  pavilion  I  paused  to  see  where  Mr.  Hud- 
dlestone  had  fallen;  but  there  was  no  sign  of  him,  nor 
so  much  as  a  trace  of  blood. 

"Graden  Floe,"  said  Northmour. 

He  continued  to  advance  till  we  had  come  to  the 
head  of  the  beach. 

"  No  farther,  please,"  said  he.  "Would  you  like  to 
take  her  to  Graden  House  ? " 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  I;  "I  shall  try  to  get  her  to 
the  minister's  at  Graden  Wester." 

The  prow  of  the  boat  here  grated  on  the  beach,  and 
a  sailor  jumped  ashore  with  a  line  in  his  hand. 

"  Wait  a  minute,  lads  !  "  cried  Northmour;  and  then 
lower  and  to  my  private  ear:  "  You  had  better  say 
nothing  of  all  this  to  her,"  he  added. 

"  On  the  contrary  !  "  I  broke  out,  "  she  shall  know 
everything  that  I  can  tell.  " 

"  You  do  not  understand,"  he  returned,  with  an  air 
of  great  dignity.  "  It  will  be  nothing  to  her;  she 
expects  it  of  me.     Good-bye  !  "  he  added,  with  a  nod. 

I  offered  him  my  hand. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  he.  "  It's  small,  I  know;  but  I 
can't  push  things  quite  so  far  as  that.  I  don't  wish 
any  sentimental  business,  to  sit  by  your  hearth  a  white- 
haired  wanderer,  and  all  that.  Quite  the  contrary:  I 
hope  to  God  I  shall  never  again  clap  eyes  on  either 
one  of  you." 

"  Well,  God  bless  you,  Northmour  !  "  I  said  heartily. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  returned. 


:\2  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

He  walked  down  the  beach;  and  the  man  who  was 

ashore  gave  him  an  arm  01)  hoard,  and  then  shoved 
oif  and  leaped  into  the  hows  himself.  Northmour 
took  the  tiller;  the  hoat  rose  to  the  waves,  and  the 
oars  between  the  thole-pins  sounded  crisp  and  meas- 
ured in  the  air. 

They  were  not  yet  half  way  to  the  Red  Earl,  and  I 
was  still  watching  their  progress,  when  the  sun  rose 
out  of  the  sea. 

One  word  more,  and  my  story  is  done.  Years  after, 
Northmour  was  killed  fighting  under  the  colors  oi 
Garibaldi  for  the  liberation  of  Tyrol. 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT: 


A    STORY  OF  FRANCIS  VILLON. 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT. 


IT  was  late  in  November,  1456.  The  snow  fell  over 
Paris  with  rigorous,  relentless  persistence  ;  some- 
times the  wind  made  a  sally  and  scattered  it  in  flying 
vortices  ;  sometimes  there  was  a  lull,  and  flake  after 
flake  descended  out  of  the  black  night  air,  silent,  cir- 
cuitous, interminable.  To  poor  people,  looking  up 
under  moist  eyebrows,  it  seemed  a  wonder  where  it  all 
came  from.  Master  Francis  Villon  had  propounded 
an  alternative  that  afternoon,  at  a  tavern  window  :  was 
it  only  Pagan  Jupiter  plucking  geese  upon  Olympus  ? 
or  were  the  holy  angels  moulting  ?  He  was  only  a  poor 
Master  of  Arts,  he  went  on  ;  and  as  the  question  some- 
what touched  upon  divinity,  he  durst  not  venture  to 
conclude.  A  silly  old  priest  from  Montargis,  who  was 
among  the  company,  treated  the  young  rascal  to  a 
bottle  of  wine  in  honor  of  the  jest  and  grimaces  with 
which  it  was  accompanied,  and  swore  on  his  own  white 
beard  that  he  had  been  just  such  another  irreverent 
dog  when  he  was  Villon's  age. 

The  air  was  raw  and  pointed,  but  not  far  below 
freezing  ;  and  the  flakes  were  large,  damp,  and  adhe- 
sive. The  whole  city  was  sheeted  up.  An  army 
might  have  marched  from  end  to  end  and  not  a  foot- 
fall given  the  alarm.  If  there  were  any  belated  birds 
in  heaven,  they  saw  the  island  like  a  large  white  patch, 
and  the  bridges  like  slim  white  spars,  on  the  black 
ground  of  the  river.  High  up  overhead  the  snow  set- 
tled among  the  tracery  of  the  cathedral  towers.  Many 
a  niche  was  drifted  full  ;  many  a  statue  wore  a  long 
white  bonnet  on  its  grotesque  or  sainted  head.  The 
gargoyles  had  been  transformed  into  great  false  noses, 
drooping  towards  the  point.  The  crockets  were  like 
245 


2^6  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

upright  pillows  swollen  on  one  side.  In  the  intervals 
oi  the  wind,  there  was  a  dull  sound  of  dripping  about 
the  precincts  of  the  church. 

The  cemetery  of  St.  John  had  taken  its  own  share 
of  the  snow.     All  the  graves  were  decently  covered  ; 

tall  white  housetops  Stood  around  in  grave  array; 
worthy  burghers  were  long  ago  in  bed,  be-nightcapped 
like  their  domiciles  ;  there  was  no  light  in  all  the 
neighborhood  but  a  little  peep  from  a  lamp  that  hung 
swinging  in  the  church  choir,  and  tossed  the  shadows 
to  and  fro  in  time  to  its  oscillations.  The  clock  was 
hard  on  ten  when  the  patrol  went  by  with  halberds 
and  a  lantern,  beating  their  hands  ;  and  they  saw 
nothing  suspicious  about  the  cemetery  of  St.  John. 

Yet  there  was  a  small  house,  backed  up  against  the 
cemetery  wall,  which  was  still  awake,  and  awake  to 
evil  purpose,  in  that  snoring  district.  There  was  not 
much  to  betray  it  from  without  ;  only  a  stream  of 
warm  vapor  from  the  chimney-top,  a  patch  where  the 
snow  melted  on  the  roof,  and  a  few  half-obliterated 
footprints  at  the  door.  But  within,  behind  the  shut- 
tered windows,  Master  Francis  Villon  the  poet,  and 
some  of  the  thievish  crew  with  whom  he  consorted, 
were  keeping  the  night  alive  and  passing  round  the 
bottle. 

A  great  pile  of  living  embers  diffused  a  strong  and 
ruddy  glow  from  the  arched  chimney.  Before  this 
straddled  Dom  Nicolas,  the  Picardy  monk,  with  his 
skirts  picked  up  and  his  fat  legs  bared  to  the  comfort- 
able warmth.  His  dilated  shadow  cut  the  room  in 
half  ;  and  the  firelight  only  escaped  on  either  side  of 
his  broad  person,  and  in  a  little  pool  between  his  out- 
spread feet.  His  face  had  the  beery,  bruised  appear- 
ance of  the  continual  drinker's  ;  it  was  covered  with 
a  network  of  congested  veins,  purple  in  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, but  now  pale  violet,  for  even  with  his 
back  to  the  fire  the  cold  pinched  him  on  the  other 
side.  His  cowl  had  half  fallen  back,  and  made  a 
strange  excrescence  on  either  side  of  his  bull  neck. 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  247 

So  he  straddled,  grumbling,  and  cut  the  room  in  half 
with  the  shadow  of  his  portly  frame. 

On  the  right,  Villon  and  Guy  Tabary  were  huddled 
together  over  a  scrap  of  parchment ;  Villon  making  a 
ballade  which  he  was  to  call  the  "  Ballade  of  Roast 
Fish,"  and  Tabary  spluttering  admiration  at  his  shoul- 
der. The  poet  was  a  rag  of  a  man,  dark,  little,  and 
lean,  with  hollow  cheeks  and  thin  black  locks.  He 
carried  his  four-and-twenty  years  with  feverish  anima- 
tion. Greed  had  made  folds  about  his  eyes,  evil 
smiles  had  puckered  his  mouth.  The  wolf  and  pig 
struggled  together  in  his  face.  It  was  an  eloquent,  sharp, 
ugly,  earthly  countenance.  His  hands  were  small  and 
prehensile,  with  fingers  knotted  like  a  cord  ;  and  they 
were  continually  flickering  in  front  of  him  in  violent 
and  expressive  pantomime.  As  for  Tabary,  a  broad, 
complacent,  admiring  imbecility  breathed  from  his 
squash  nose  and  slobbering  lips  :  he  had  become  a 
thief,  just  as  he  might  have  become  the  most  decent  of 
burgesses,  by  the  imperious  chance  that  rules  the  lives 
of  human  geese  and  human  donkeys. 

At  the  monk's  other  hand,  Montigny  and  Thevenin 
Pensete  played  a  game  of  chance.  About  the  first 
there  clung  some  flavor  of  good  birth  and  training,  as 
about  a  fallen  angel;  something  long,  lithe,  and  courtly 
in  the  person;  something  aquiline  and  darkling  in  the 
face.  Thevenin,  poor  soul,  was  in  great  feather:  he  had 
done  a  good  stroke  of  knavery  that  afternoon  in  the 
Faubourg  St.  Jacques,  and  all  night  he  had  been  gain- 
ing from  Montigny.  A  flat  smile  illuminated  his  face; 
his  bald  head  shone  rosily  in  a  garland  of  red  curls; 
his  little  protuberant  stomach  shook  with  silent  chuck- 
lings  as  lie  swept  in  his  gains. 

"  Doubles  or  quits  ?"  said  Thevenin. 

Montigny  nodded  grimly. 

"  Some  may  prefer  to  dine  in  state"  wrote  Villon, 
"  On  bread  and  cheese  on  silver  plate.  Or,  or — help 
me  out,  Guido  !  " 

Tabary  giggled. 


24S  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

M  Or  parsley  on  a  golden  dish"  scribbled  the  poet. 

The  wind  w.is  freshening  without;  it  drove  the  snow 
before  it,  and  sometimes  raised  its  voice  in  a  victorious 
whoop,  and  made  sepulchral  grumblings  in  the  chim- 
ney. The  cold  was  growing  sharper  as  the  night  went 
on.  Villon,  protruding  his  lips,  imitated  the  gust  with 
something  between  a  whistle  and  a  groan.  It  was  an 
eerie,  uncomfortable  talent  of  the  poets,  much  detested 
by  the  Picardy  monk. 

"Can't  you  hear  it  rattle  in  the  gibbet?"  said  Vil- 
lon. "  They  are  all  dancing  the  devil's  jig  on  nothing, 
up  there.  You  may  dance,  my  gallants,  you'll  be  none 
the  warmer!  Whew!  what  a  gust !  Down  went  some- 
body just  now  !  A  medlar  the  fewer  on  the  three- 
legged  medlar-tree! — I  say,  Dom  Nicolas,  it'll  be  cold 
to-night  on  the  St.  Denis  Road  ?"  he  asked. 

Dom  Nicolas  winked  both  his  big  eyes,  and  seemed 
to  choke  upon  his  Adam's  apple.  Montfaucon,  the  great 
grisly  Paris  gibbet,  stood  hard  by  the  St.  Denis  Road, 
and  the  pleasantry  touched  him  on  the  raw.  As  for 
Tabary,  he  laughed  immoderately  over  the  medlars; 
he  had  never  heard  anything  more  light-hearted;  and 
he  held  his  sides  and  crowed.  Villon  fetched  him  a 
fillip  on  the  nose,  which  turned  his  mirth  into  an 
attack  of  coughing. 

"  Oh,  stop  that  row,"  said  Villon,  "  and  think  of 
rhymes  to  'fish.'  " 

"  Doubles  or  epiits,"  said  Montigny  doggedly. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  quoth  Thevenin. 

"  Is  there  any  more  in  that  bottle  ?  "  asked  the  monk. 

"Open  another,"  said  Villon.  "How  do  you  ever 
hope  to  fill  that  big  hogshead,  your  body,  with  little 
things  like  bottles  ?  And  how  do  you  expect  to  get  to 
heaven  ?  How  many  angels,  do  you  fancy,  can  be 
spared  to  carry  up  a  single  monk  from  Picardy  ?  Or 
do  you  think  yourself  another  Elias — and  they'll  send 
the  coach  for  you  ?" 

" Hominibus  impossibile"  replied  the  monk  as  he 
filled  his  glass. 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  249 

Tabary  was  in  ecstasies. 

Villon  filliped  his  nose  again. 

"  Laugh  at  my  jokes,  if  you  like.,"  he  said. 

"  It  was  very  good,"  objected  Tabary. 

Villon  made  a  face  at  him.  "  Think  of  rhymes  to 
1  fish,'  "  he  said.  "  What  have  you  to  do  with  Latin  ? 
You'll  wish  you  knew  none  of  it  at  the  great  assizes, 
when  the  devil  calls  for  Guido  Tabary,  clericus — the 
devil  with  the  hump-back  and  red-hot  finger-nails. 
Talking  of  the  devil,"  he  added  in  a  whisper,  "  look 
at  Montigny  !  " 

All  three  peered  covertly  at  the  gamester.  He  did 
not  seem  to  be  enjoying  his  luck.  His  mouth  was  a 
little  to  a  side;  one  nostril  nearly  shut,  and  the  other 
much  inflated.  The  black  dog  was  on  his  back,  as 
people  say,  in  terrifying  nursery  metaphor;  and  he 
breathed  hard  under  the  gruesome  burden. 

"  He  looks  as  if  he  could  knife  him,"  whispered 
Tabary,  with  round  eyes. 

The  monk  shuddered,  and  turned  his  face  and 
spread  his  open  hands  to  the  red  embers.  It  was  the 
cold  that  thus  affected  Dom  Nicolas,  and  not  any 
excess  of  moral  sensibility. 

"  Come  now,"  said  Villon — "  about  this  ballade. 
How  does  it  run  so  far  ?  "  And  beating  time  with  his 
hand,  he  read  it  aloud  to  Tabary. 

They  were  interrupted  at  the  fourth  rhyme  by  a 
brief  and  fatal  movement  among  the  gamesters.  The 
round  was  completed,  and  Thevenin  was  just  opening 
his  mouth  to  claim  another  victory,  when  Montigny 
leaped  up,  swift  as  an  adder,  and  stabbed  him  to  the 
heart.  The  blow  took  effect  before  he  had  time  to 
utter  a  cry,  before  he  had  time  to  move.  A  tremor  or 
two  convulsed  his  frame;  his  hands  opened  and  shut, 
his  heels  rattled  on  the  floor;  then  his  head  rolled 
backward  over  one  shoulder  with  the  eyes  wide  open; 
and  Thevenin  Pensete's  spirit  had  returned  to  Him 
who  made  it. 

Everyone  sprang  to  his  feet;  but  the  business  was 


250  X/-:il'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

over  in  two  twos.  The  four  living  fellows  looked  at 
each  other  in  rather  a  ghastly  fashion;  the  dead  man 
contemplating  a  corner  of  the  roof  with  a  singular  and 
Ugly  leer. 

"  My  God  !  "  said  Tabary;  and  he  began  to  pray  in 
Latin. 

Villon  broke  out  into  hysterical  laughter.  He  came 
a  step  forward  and  ducked  a  ridiculous  bow  at  Theve- 
nin, and  laughed  still  louder.  Then  he  sat  down  sud- 
denly, all  of  a  heap,  upon  a  stool,  and  continued 
laughing  bitterly  as  though  he  would  shake  himself  to 
pieces. 

Montigny  recovered  his  composure  first. 

"  Let's  see  what  he  has  about  him,"  he  remarked, 
and  he  picked  the  dead  man's  pockets  with  a  prac- 
ticed hand,  and  divided  the  money  into  four  equal 
portions  on  the  table.     "  There's  for  you,"  he  said. 

The  monk  received  his  share  with  a  deep  sigh,  and 
a  single  stealthy  glance  at  the  dead  Thevenin,  who 
was  beginning  to  sink  into  himself  and  topple  side- 
ways off  the  chair. 

We're  all  in  for  it,"  cried  Villon,  swallowing  his 
mirth.  "  It's  a  hanging  job  for  every  man  jack  of  us 
that's  here — not  to  speak  of  those  who  aren't."  lie 
made  a  shocking  gesture  in  the  air  with  his  raised 
right  hand,  and  put  out  his  tongue  and  threw  his  head 
on  one  side,  so  as  to  counterfeit  the  appearance  of  one 
who  has  been  hanged.  Then  he  pocketed  his  share  of 
the  spoil,  and  executed  a  shuffle  with  his  feet  as  if  to 
restore  the  circulation. 

Tabary  was  the  last  to  help  himself  ;  he  made  a  dash 
at  the  money,  and  retired  to  the  other  end  of  the 
apartment. 

Montigny  stuck  Thevenin  upright  in  the  chair,  and 
drew  out  the  dagger,  which  was  followed  by  a  jet  of 
blood. 

"  You  fellows  had  better  be  moving,"  he  said,  as  he 
wiped  the  blade  on  his  victim's  doublet. 

I    think   we    had,"  returned   Villon,   with  a  gulp. 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  251 

"  Damn  his  fat  head  !"  he  broke  out,  "  It  sticks  in 
my  throat  like  phlegm.  What  right  has  a  man  to  have 
red  hair  when  he  is  dead  ?"  And  he  fell  all  of  a  heap 
again  upon  the  stool,  and  fairly  covered  his  face  with 
his  hands. 

Montigny  and  Dom  Nicolas  laughed  aloud,  even 
Tabary  feebly  chiming  in. 

"  Cry  baby,"  said  the  monk. 

"  I  always  said  he  was  a  woman,"  added  Montigny, 
with  a  sneer.  "  Sit  up,  can't  you  ?"  he  went  on,  giv- 
ing another  shake  to  the  murdered  body.  "  Tread  out 
that  fire,  Nick  !" 

But  Nick  was  better  employed;  he  was  quietly  tak- 
ing Villon's  purse,  as  the  poet  sat,  limp  and  trembling, 
on  the  stool  where  he  had  been  making  a  ballade  not 
three  minutes  before.  Montigny  and  Tabary  dumbly 
demanded  a  share  of  the  booty,  which  the  monk 
silently  promised  as  he  passed  the  little  bag  into  the 
bosom  of  his  gown.  In  many  ways  an  artistic  nature 
unfits  a  man  for  practical  existence. 

No  sooner  had  the  theft  been  accomplished  than  Vil- 
lon shook  himself,  jumped  to  his  feet,  and  began 
helping  to  scatter  and  extinguish  the  embers.  Mean- 
while Montigny  opened  the  door  and  cautiously  peered 
into  the  street.  The  coast  was  clear  ;  there  was  no 
meddlesome  patrol  in  sight.  Still  it  was  judged  wiser 
to  slip  out  severally  ;  and  as  Villon  was  himself  in  a 
hurry  to  escape  from  the  neighborhood  of  the  dead 
Thevenin,  and  the  rest  were  in  a  still  greater  hurry  to 
get  rid  of  him  before  he  should  discover  the  loss  of 
his  money,  he  was  the  first  by  general  consent  to  issue 
forth  into  the  street. 

The  wind  had  triumphed  and  swept  all  the  clouds 
from  heaven.  Only  a  few  vapors,  as  thin  as  moon- 
light, fleeted  rapidly  across  the  stars.  It  was  bitter 
cold;  and  by  a  common  optical  effect,  things  seemed 
almost  more  definite  than  in  the  broadest  daylight. 
The  sleeping  city  was  absolutely  still;  a  company  of 
white  hoods,  a  field  full  of  little  alps,  below  the  twink- 


15a  -V/  /;•  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

ling  stars.  Villon  <  lirsed  his  fortune.  Would  it  were 
still  snowing !      Now,    wherever   he   went,  he  left  an 

indelible  trail  behind  him  on  the  glittering  streets  ; 
wherever  he  went  he  was  still  tethered  to  the  house  by 
the  cemetery  of  St.  John  ;  wherever  he  went  he  must 
weave,  with  his  own  plodding  feet,  the  rope  that  bound 
him  to  the  crime  and  would  bind  him  to  the  gallows. 
The  leer  of  the  dead  man  came  back  to  him  with  a 
new  significance,  lie  snapped  his  fingers  as  if  to  pluck 
up  his  own  spirits,  and  choosing  a  street  at  random, 
stepped  boldly  forward  in  the  snow. 

Two  things  preoccupied  him  as  he  went  :  the  aspect 
of  the  gallows  at  Montfaucon  in  this  bright,  windy 
phase  of  the  night's  existence,  for  one  ;  and  for 
another,  the  look  of  the  dead  man  with  his  bald  head 
and  garland  of  red  curls.  Both  struck  cold  upon  his 
heart,  and  he  kept  quickening  his  pace  as  if  he  could 
escape  from  unpleasant  thoughts  by  ni2re  fleetness  of 
foot.  Sometimes  he  looked  back  over  his  shoulder 
with  a  sudden  nervous  jerk  ;  but  he  was  the  only  mov- 
ing thing  in  the  white  streets,  except  when  the  wind 
swooped  round  a  corner  and  threw  up  the  snow,  which 
was  beginning  to  freeze,  in  spouts  of  glittering  dust. 

Suddenly  he  saw,  a  long  way  before  him,  a  black 
clump  and  a  couple  of  lanterns.  The  clump  was  in 
motion,  and  the  lanterns  swung  as  though  carried  by 
men  walking.  It  was  a  patrol.  And  though  it  wras 
merely  crossing  his  line  of  march  he  judged  it  wiser 
t  out  of  eyeshot  as  speedily  as  he  could.  He  was 
not  in  the  humor  to  be  challenged,  and  he  was  con- 
scious of  making  a  very  conspicuous  mark  upon  the 
snow.  Just  on  his  left  hand  there  stood  a  great  hotel, 
with  some  turrets  and  a  large  porch  before  the  door  ; 
s  half-ruinous,  he  remembered,  and  had  long  stood 
c  pty  ;  and  so  he  made  three  steps  of  it,  and  jumped 
in  •  1  the  shelter  of  the  porch.  It  was  pretty  dark  inside, 
:  the  glimmer  of  the  snowy  streets,  and  he  was 
groping  forward  with  outspread  hands,  when  he  stum- 
bled over  some  substance  which  offered  an  indescriba- 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  253 

ble  mixture  of  resistances,  hard  and  soft,  firm  and 
loose.  His  heart  gave  a  leap,  and  he  sprang  two  steps 
back  and  stared  dreadfully  at  the  obstacle.  Then  he 
gave  a  little  laugh  of  relief.  It  was  only  a  woman,  and 
she  dead.  He  knelt  beside  her  to  make  sure  upon 
this  latter  point.  She  was  freezing  cold,  and  rigid  like 
a  stick.  A  little  ragged  finery  fluttered  in  the  wind 
about  her  hair,  and  her  cheeks  had  been  heavily 
rouged  that  same  afternoon.  Her  pockets  were  quite 
empty  ;  but  in  her  stocking,  underneath  the  garter, 
Villon  found  two  of  the  small  coins  that  went  by  the 
name  of  whites.  It  was  little  enough  ;  but  it  was 
always  something  ;  and  the  poet  was  moved  with  a 
deep  sense  of  pathos  that  she  should  have  died  before 
she  had  spent  her  money.  That  seemed  to  him  a  dark 
and  pitiable  mystery;  and  he  looked  from  the  coins  in 
his  hand  to  the  dead  woman,  and  back  again  to  the 
coins,  shaking  his  head  over  the  riddle  of  man's  life. 
Henry  V.  of  England,  dying  at  Vincennes  just  after 
he  had  conquered  France,  and  this  poor  jade  cut  off 
by  a  cold  draught  in  a  great  man's  doorway,  before  she 
had  time  to  spend  her  couple  of  whites — it  seemed  a 
cruel  way  to  carry  on  the  world.  Two  whites  would 
have  taken  such  a  little  while  to  squander  ;  and  yet  it 
would  have  been  one  more  good  taste  in  the  mouth, 
one  more  smack  of  the  lips,  before  the  devil  got  the 
soul,  and  the  body  was  left  to  birds  and  vermin.  He 
would  like  to  use  all  his  tallow  before  the  light  was 
blown  out  and  the  lantern  broken. 

While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through  his  mind, 
he  was  feeling,  half  mechanically,  for  his  purse.  Sud- 
denly his  heart  stopped  beating  ;  a  feeling  of  cold 
scales  passed  up  the  back  of  his  legs,  and  a  cold  blow 
seemed  to  fall  upon  his  scalp.  He  stood  petrified  for 
a  moment  ;  then  he  felt  again  with  one  feverish  move- 
ment ;  and  then  his  loss  burst  upon  him,  and  he  was 
covered  at  once  with  perspiration.  To  spendthrifts 
money  is  so  living  and  actual — it  is  such  a  thin  veil 
between  them  and  their  pleasures  !     There  is  only  one 


254  NE  W  ARA HI. 1  .V  NIGHTS. 

limit  to  their  fortune — that  of  time  ;  and  a  spendthrift 
with  only  a  few  crowns  is  the  Emperor  of  Rome  until 
they  are  spent.  For  such  a  person  to  lose  his  money 
is  to  suffer  the  most  shocking  reverse,  and  fall  from 
heaven  to  hell,  from  all  to  nothing,  in  a  breath.  And 
all  the  more  if  he  has  put  his  head  in  the  halter  for  it  ; 
if  he  may  be  hanged  to-morrow  for  that  same  purse, 
so  dearly  earned,  so  foolishly  departed  !  Villon  stood 
and  cursed  ;  he  threw  the  two  whites  into  the  street  ; 
he  shook  his  list  at  heaven  ;  he  stamped,  and  was  not 
horrified  to  find  himself  trampling  the  poor  corpse. 
Then  he  began  rapidly  to  retrace  his  steps  towards  the 
house  beside  the  cemetery.  He  had  forgotten  all  fear 
of  the  patrol,  which  was  long  gone  by  at  any  rate,  and 
had  no  idea  but  that  of  his  lost  purse.  It  was  in  vain 
that  he  looked  right  and  left  upon  the  snow  :  nothing 
was  to  be  seen.  He  had  not  dropped  it  in  the  streets. 
Had  it  fallen  in  the  house  ?  He  would  have  liked 
dearly  to  go  in  and  see  ;  but  the  idea  of  the  grisly 
occupant  unmanned  him.  And  he  saw  besides,  as  he 
drew  near,  that  their  efforts  to  put  out  the  fire  had 
been  unsuccessful  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  had  broken  into 
a  blaze,  and  a  changeful  light  played  in  the  chinks  of 
door  and  window,  and  revived  his  terror  for  the  author- 
ities and  Paris  gibbet. 

He  returned  to  the  hotel  with  the  porch,  and  groped 
about  upon  the  snow  for  the  money  he  had  thrown 
away  in  his  childish  passion.  But  he  could  only  find 
one  white  ;  the  other  had  probably  struck  sideways 
and  sunk  deeply  in.  With  a  single  white  in  his  pocket, 
all  his  projects  for  a  rousing  night  in  some  wild  tavern 
vanished  utterly  away.  And  it  was  not  only  pleasure 
that  fled  laughing  from  his  grasp  ;  positive  discomfort, 
positive  pain,  attacked  him  as  he  stood  ruefully  before 
the  porch.  His  perspiration  had  dried  upon  him  ;  and 
although  the  wind  had  now  fallen,  a  binding  frost 
was  setting  in  stronger  with  every  hour,  and  he  felt 
benumbed  and  sick  at  heart.  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
Late  as  was  the  hour,  improbable  as  was  success,  he 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  =55 

would  try  the  house  of  his  adopted  father,  the  chaplain 
of  St.  Benoit. 

He  ran  there  all  the  way,  and  krocked  timidly. 
There  was  no  answer.  He  knocked  again  and  again, 
taking  heart  with  every  stroke  ;  and  at  last  steps  were 
heard  approaching  from  within.  A  barred  wicket  fell 
open  in  the  iron-studded  door,  and  emitted  a  gush  of 
yellow  light. 

"  Hold  up  your  face  to  the  wicket,"  said  the  chaplain 
from  within. 

"It's  only  me,"  whimpered  Villon. 

"Oh,  it's  only  you,  is  it  ?"  returned  the  chaplain; 
and  he  cursed  him  with  foul  unpriestly  oaths  for  dis- 
turbing him  at  such  an  hour,  and  bade  him  be  off  to 
hell,  where  he  came  from. 

"  My  hands  are  blue  to  the  wrist,"  pleaded  Villon; 
"my  feet  are  dead  and  full  of  twinges;  my  nose  aches 
with  the  sharp  air;  the  cold  lies  at  my  heart.  I  may 
be  dead  before  morning.  Only  this  once,  father,  and 
before  God,  I  will  never  ask  again!  " 

"You  should  have  come  earlier,"  said  the  ecclesi- 
astic coolly.  "  Young  men  require  a  lesson  now  and 
then."  He  shut  the  wicket  and  retired  deliberately 
into  the  interior  of  the  house. 

Villon  was  beside  himself;  he  beat  upon  the  door 
with  his  hands  and  feet,  and  shouted  hoarsely  after  the 
chaplain. 

"  Wormy  old  fox  i  he  cried.  "  If  I  had  my  hand 
under  your  twist,  I  would  send  you  flying  headlong 
into  the  bottomless  pit." 

A  door  shut  in  the  interior,  faintly  audible  to  the 
poet  down  long  passages.  He  passed  his  hand  over 
his  mouth  with  an  oath.  And  then  the  humor  of  the 
situation  struck  him,  and  he  laughed  and  looked  lightly 
up  to  heaven,  where  the  stars  seemed  to  be  winking 
over  his  discomfiture. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  It  looked  very  like  a  night 
in  the  frosty  streets.  The  idea  of  the  dead  woman 
popped  into  his  imagination,  and   gave  him  a  hearty 


156  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

fright;  what  had  happened  to  her  in  the  early  night 

nii^ht  very  well  happen  to  him  before  morning.  And 
1  young!  and  with  such  immense  possibilities  of 
disorderly  amusement  before  him!  He  felt  quite  pa- 
thetic over  the  notion  of  his  own  fate,  as  if  it  had  been 
■  en-  else's,  and  made  a  little  imaginative  vignette 
of  the  scene  in  the  morning  when  they  should   find  his 

He  passed  all  his  chances  under  review,  turning  the 
white  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger.  Unfortu- 
nately he  was  on  bad  terms  with  some  old  friends  who 
would  once  have  taken  pity  on  him  in  such  a  plight. 
He  had  lampooned  them  inverses;  he  had  beaten  and 
cheated  them;  and  yet  now,  when  he  was  in  so  close  a 
pinch,  he  thought  there  was  at  least  one  who  might 
perhaps  relent.  It  was  a  chance.  It  was  worth  trying 
at  least,  and  he  would  go  and  see. 

On  the  way,  two  little  accidents  happened  to  him 
which  colored  his  musings  in  a  very  different  manner. 
For,  first,  he  fell  in  with  the  track  of  a  patrol,  and 
walked  in  it  for  some  hundred  yards,  although  it  lay 
out  of  his  direction.  And  this  spirited  him  up;  at  least 
he  had  confused  his  trail;  for  he  was  still  possessed 
with  the  idea  of  people  tracking  him  all  about  Paris 
over  the  snow,  and  collaring  him  next  morning  before 
he  was  awake.  The  other  matter  affected  him  quite 
differently.  He  passed  a  street  corner,  where,  not  so 
long  before,  a  woman  and  herchil  1  had  been  devoured 
by  wolves.  This  was  just  the  kind  of  weather,  he 
reflected,  when  wolves  might  take  it  into  their  heads 
to  enter  Paris  again;  and  a  lone  man  in  these  deserted 
streets  would  run  the  chance  of  something  worse  than 
a  mere  scare.  Hr  stopped  and  looked  upon  the  place 
with  an  unpleasant  interest — it  was  a  centre  where  sev- 
eral lanes  intersected  each  other;  and  he  looked  down 
them  all,  one  after  another,  and  held  his  breath  to 
listen,  iest  he  should  detect  some  galloping  black 
things  on  the  snow  or  hear  the  sound  of.  howling  be- 
.1  him  and  the  river:     He  remembered  his  mother 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  257 

telling  him  the  story  and  pointing  out  the  spot,  while 
he  was  yet  a  child.  His  mother  !  If  he  only  knew 
where  she  lived,  he  might  make  sure  at  least  of  shelter. 
He  determined  he  would  inquire  upon  the  morrow; 
nay,  he  would  go  and  see  her  too,  poor  old  girl !  So 
thinking,  he  arrived  at  his  destination — his  last  hope 
for  the  night. 

The  house  was  quite  dark,  like  its  neighbors;  and 
yet  after  a  few  taps,  he  heard  a  movement  overhead,  a 
door  opening,  and  a  cautious  voice  asking  who  was 
there.  The  poet  named  himself  in  a  loud  whisper, 
and  waited,  not  without  some  trepidation,  the  result. 
Nor  had  he  to  wait  long.  A  window  was  suddenly 
opened,  and  a  pailful  of  slops  splashed  down  upon  the 
doorstep.  Villon  had  not  been  unprepared  for  some- 
thing of  the  sort,  and  had  put  himself  as  much  in  shel- 
ter as  the  nature  of  the  porch  admitted;  but  for  all 
that,  he  was  deplorably  drenched  below  the  waist.  His 
hose  began  to  freeze  almost  at  once.  Death  from  cold 
and  exposure  stared  him  in  the  face;  he  remembered 
he  was  of  phthisical  tendency,  and  began  coughing  ten- 
tatively. But  the  gravity  of  the  dinger  steadied  his 
nerves.  He  stopped  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the 
door  where  he  had  been  so  rudely  used,  and  reflected 
with  his  finger  to  his  nose.  He  could  only  see  one  way 
of  getting  a  lodging,  and  that  was  to  take  it.  He  had 
noticed  a  house  not  far  away,  which  looked  as  if  it 
might  be  easily  broken  into,  and  thither  he  betook  him- 
self promptly,  entertaining  himself  on  the  way  with  the 
idea  of  a  room  still  hot,  with  a  tabic  still  loaded  with 
the  remains  of  supper,  where  he  might  pass  the  rest  of 
the  black  hours  and  whence  he  should  issue,  on  the 
morrow,  with  an  armful  of  valuable  plate.  He  even 
considered  on  what  viands  and  what  wines  he  should 
prefer;  and  as  he  was  calling  the  roll  of  his  favorite 
dainties,  roast  fish  presented  itself  to  his  mind  with  an 
odd  mixture  of  amusement  and  horror. 

"  I  shall  never  finish  that  ballade,"  he  thought  to 
himself  ;  and  then,  with  another  shudder  at  the  recoh 


1 5  B  XE  W  A  RA  AY.  /  X  NIGH  1  S. 

lection,  "Oli,  damn  his  fat  head!"  he  repeated  fer« 
vently,  and  spat  upon  the  snow. 

The  house  in  question  looked  dark  at  first  sight  ;  but 
as  Villon    made    a  preliminary    inspection  in  si 

of  the  handiest  point  of  attack,  a  little  twinkle  of 
light  caught  his  eye  from  behind  a  curtained 
window. 

"  The  devil  !  '  he  thought.  "  People  awake  !  Some 
student  or  some  saint,  confound  the  crew  !  Can't  they 
get  drunk  and  lie  in  bed  snoring  like  their  neighbors  ! 
What's  the  good  of  curfew,  and  poor  devils  of  bell- 
ringers  jumping  at  a  rope's  end  in  bell-towers?  What's 
the  use  of  day,  if  people  sit  up  all  night?  The  gripes 
to  them  !  "  He  grinned  as  he  saw  where  his  logic  was 
leading  him.  "Every  man  to  his  business,  after  all," 
added  he,  "  and  if  they're  awake,  by  the  Lord,  I  may 
come  by  a  supper  honestly  for  once,  and  cheat  the 
devil/' 

He  went  boldly  to  the  door  and  knocked  with  an 
assured  hand.  On  both  previous  occasions,  he  had 
knocked  timidly  and  with  some  dread  of  attracting 
notice  ;  but  now  when  he  had  just  discarded  the 
thought  of  a  burglarious  entry,  knocking  at  a  door 
seemed  a  mighty  simple  and  innocent  proceeding. 
The  sound  of  his  blows  echoed  through  the  house  with 
thin,  phantasmal  reverberations,  as  though  it  were  quite 
empty  ;  but  'these  had  scarcely  died  away  before  a 
measured  tread  drew  near,  a  couple  of  bolts  were  with- 
drawn, and  one  wing  was  opened  broadly,  as  though 
:  ile  or  fear  of  guile  were  known  to  those  within. 

A  t  !1  figure  of  a  man,  muscular  and  spare,  but  a  little 
bent  confronted  Villon.  The  head  was  massive  in 
bulk,  but  finely  sculptured  ;  the  nose  blunt  at  the  bot- 
tom, but  refining  upward  to  where  it  joined  a  pair  of 
strong  and  honest  eyebrows;  the  mouth  and  eyes  sur- 
rounded with  delicate  markings,  and  the  whole  face 
based  upon  a  thick  white  beard,  boldly  and  squarely 
trimmed.  Seen  as  it  was  by  the  light  of  a  flickering 
hand-lamp,  it  looked  perhaps  nobler  than  it  had  aright 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  259 

to  do  ;  but  it  was  a  fine  face,  honorable  rather  than 
intelligent,  strong,  simple,  and  righteous. 

"  You  knock  late,  sir,"  said  the  old  man  in  resonant, 
courteous  tones. 

Villon  cringed,  and  brought  up  many  servile  words 
of  apology  ;  at  a  crisis  of  this  sort,  the  beggar  was 
uppermost  in  him,  and  the  man  of  genius  hid  his  head 
with  confusion. 

"You  are  cold,"  repeated  the  old  man,  "and  hun- 
gry ?  Well,  step  in."  And  he  ordered  him  into  the 
house  with  a  noble  enough  gesture. 

"  Some  great  seigneur,"  thought  Villon,  as  his  host, 
setting  down  the  lamp  on  the  flagged  pavement  of  the 
entry,  shot  the  bolts  once  more  into  their  places. 

"  You  will  pardon  me  if  I  go  in  front,"  he  said,  when 
this  was  done  ;  and  he  preceded  the  poet  upstairs  into 
a  large  apartment,  warmed  with  a  pan  of  charcoal  and 
lit  by  a  great  lamp  hanging  from  the  roof.  It  was 
very  bare  of  furniture  :  only  some  gold  plate  on  a 
sideboard  ;  some  folios  ;  and  a  stand  of  armor 
between  the  windows.  Some  smart  tapestry  hung 
upon  the  walls,  representing  the  crucifixion  of  our 
Lord  in  one  piece,  and  in  another  a  scene  of  shepherds 
and  shepherdesses  by  a  running  stream.  Over  the 
chimney  was  a  shield  of  arms. 

"  Will  you  seat  yourself,"  said  the  old  man,  "  and 
forgive  me  if  I  leave  you  ?  1  am  alone  in  my  house 
to-night,  and  if  you  are  to  eat  I  must  forage  for  you 
myself." 

No  sooner  was  his  host  gone  than  Villon  leaped  from 
the  chair  on  which  he  had  just  seated  himself,  and 
began  examining  the  room,  with  the  stealth  and  passion 
of  a  cat.  He  weighed  the  gold  flagons  in  his  hand, 
opened  all  the  folios,  and  investigated  the  arms  upon 
the  shield,  and  the  stuff  with  which  the  seats  were 
lined.  He  raised  the  window  curtains,  and  saw  that 
the  windows  were  set  with  rich  stained  glass  in  figures, 
so  far  as  he  could  see,  of  martial  import.  Then  he 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  drew  a  long  breath, 


260  iVEW  ARABIAN  XIUIITS. 

and  retaining  it  with  puffed  (hecks,  looked  round  and 
round  him,  turning  on  his  heels,  as  if  to  impress  every 
feature  ot"  the  apartment  on  his  memory. 

'*  Seven  pieces  of  plate,"  he  said.  "  If  there  had 
been  ten,  I  would  have  risked  it.  A  fine  house,  and  a 
fine  old  master,  so  help  me  all  the  saints  !  " 

And  just  then,  hearing  the  old  man's  tread  return- 
ing along  the  corridor,  he  stole  back  to  his  chair,  and 
began  humbly  toasting  his  wet  legs  before  the  charcoal 
pan. 

His  entertainer  had  a  plate  of  meat  in  one  hand  and 
a  jug  of  wine  in  the  other.  He  sat  down  the  plate 
upon  the  table,  motioning  Villon  to  draw  in  his  chair, 
and  going  to  the  sideboard,  brought  back  two  goblets, 
which  he  filled. 

"  I  drink  your  better  fortune,"  he  said,  gravely 
touching  Villon's  cup  with  his  own. 

"  To  our  better  acquaintance,"  said  the  poet,  growing 
bold.  A  mere  man  of  the  people  would  have  been 
awed  by  the  courtesy  of  the  old  seigneur,  but  Villon 
was  hardened  in  that  matter  ;  he  had  made  mirth  for 
great  lords  before  now,  and  found  them  as  black 
rascals  as  himself.  And  so  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
viands  with  a  ravenous  gusto,  while  the  old  man, 
leaning  backward,  watched  him  with  steady,  curious 
eyes. 

"  You  have  blood  on  your  shoulder,  my  man,"  he 
said. 

Montigny  must  have  laid  his  wet  right  hand  upon 
him  as  he  left  the  house.  He  cursed  Montigny  in  his 
heart. 

"  It  was  none  of  my  shedding,"  he  stammered. 

"  I  had  not  supposed  so,"  returned  his  host  quietly. 
"A  brawl?" 

"  Well,  something  of  that  sort,"  Villon  admitted  with 
a  quaver. 

'  Perhaps  a  fellow  murdered  ?" 

"  Oh,  no,  not  murdered,"  said  the  poet,  more  and 
more  confused.     "  It  was  all   fair  play — murdered  by 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  261 

accident.     I  had  no  hand  in  it,  God  strike  me  dead  ! " 
he  added  fervently. 

"  One  rogue  the  fewer,  I  dare  say,"  observed  the 
master  of  the  house. 

"  You  may  dare  to  say  that,"  agreed  Villon,  infinitely 
relieved.  "  As  big  a  rogue  as  there  is  between  here 
and  Jerusalem.  He  turned  up  his  toes  like  a  lamb. 
But  it  was  a  nasty  thing  to  look  at.  I  dare  say  you've 
seen  dead  men  in  your  time,  my  lord  ?  "  he  added, 
glancing  at  the  armor. 

"  Many,"  said  the  old  man.  "I  have  followed  the 
wars,  as  you  imagine." 

Villon  laid  down  his  knife  and  fork,  which  he  had 
just  taken  up  again. 

"  Were  any  of  them  bald  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh  yes,  and  with  hair  as  white  as  mine." 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  mind  the  white  so  much," 
said  Villon.  "  His  was  red."  And  he  had  a  return  of 
his  shuddering  and  tendency  to  laughter,  which  he 
drowned  with  a  great  draught  of  wine.  "  I'm  a  little 
put  out  when  I  think  of  it,"  he  went  on.  "  I  knew 
him — damn  him!  And  then  the  cold  gives  a  man 
fancies — or  the  fancies  give  a  man  cold,  I  don't  know 
which." 

"  Have  you  any  money  ? "  asked  the  old  man. 

"  I  have  one  white,"  returned  the  poet,  laughing. 
"  I  got  it  out  of  a  dead  jade's  stocking  in  a  porch. 
She  was  as  dead  as  Caesar,  poor  wench,  and  as  cold  as 
a  church,  with  bits  of  ribbon  sticking  in  her  hair.  This 
is  a  hard  world  in  winter  for  wolves  and  wenches  and 
poor  rogues  like  me." 

"I,"  said  the  old  man,  "am  Enguerrand  de  ia 
Feuillee,  seigneur  de  Brisetout,  bailly  du  Patatrac. 
Who  and  what  may  you  be  ?  " 

Villon  rose  and  made  a  suitable  reverence.  "  I  am 
called  Francis  Villon,"  he  said,  "a  poor  Master  of  Arts 
of  this  university.  I  know  some  Latin,  and  a  deal 
of  vice.  I  can  make  chansons,  ballades,  lais,  virelais, 
and  roundels,  and  I  am  very  fond  of  wine.     I    was 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

born  in  a  garret,  and  I  shall  not  improbably  die  upon 
the  gallows.  1  may  add,  my  lord,  that  from  this  night 
forward  I  am  your  lordship's  very  obsequious  servant 
to  command." 

"  No  servant  of  mine,"  said  the  knight  "my  guest 
for  this  evening,  and  no  more." 

"  A  very  grateful  guest,"  said  Villon  politely,  and 
he  drank  in  dumb  show  to  his  entertainer. 

"  You  are  shrewd,"  began  the  old  man,  tapping  his 
forehead,  "very  shrewd;  you  have  learning;  you 
are  a  clerk  ;  and  yet  you  take  a  small  piece  of  money 
off  a  dead  woman  in  the  street.  Is  it  not  a  kind  of 
theft  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  kind  of  theft  much  practised  in  the  wars, 
my  lord." 

"  The  wars  are  the  field  of  honor,"  returned  the 
old  man  proudly.  "  There  a  man  plays  his  life  upon 
the  cast ;  he  fights  in  the  name  of  his  lord  the  king,  his 
Lord  God,  and  all  their  lordships  the  holy  saints  and 
angels." 

Put  it,"  said  Villon,  "  that  I  were  really  a  thief, 
should  I  not  play  my  life  also,  and  against  heavier 
odds  ? " 

"  For  gain  but  not  for  honor." 

"Gain?"  repeated  Villon  with  a  shrug.  "Gain! 
The  poor  fellow  wants  supper,  and  takes  it.  So  does 
the  soldier  in  a  campaign.  Why,  what  are  all  these 
requisitions  we  hear  so  much  about  ?  If  they  are  not 
gain  to  those  who  take  them,  they  are  loss  enough  to 
the  others.  The  men-at-arms  drink  by  a  good  fire, 
while  the  burgher  bites  his  nails  to  buy  them  wine  and 
wood.  I  have  seen  a  good  many  ploughmen  swinging 
on  trees  about  the  country  ;  ay,  I  have  seen  thirty  on 
one  elm,  and  a  very  poor  figure  they  made;  and  when  I 
asked  someone  how  all  these  came  to  be  hanged,  I  was 
told  it  was  because  they  could  not  scrape  together 
enough  crowns  to  satisfy  the  men-at-arms." 

"  These  things  are  a  necessity  of  war,  which  the  low- 
born must  endure  with  constancy.     It  is  true  that  some 


A  LODGING  FOR   THE  NIGHT.  263 

captains  drive  overhard;  there  are  spirits  in  every  rank 
not  easily  moved  by  pity;  and  indeed  many  follow  arms 
who  are  no  better  than  brigands." 

"You  see,"  said  the  poet,  "you  cannot  separate  the 
soldier  from  the  brigand;  and  what  is  a  thief  but  an 
isolated  brigand  with  circumspect  manners  ?  I  steal  a 
couple  of  mutton  chops,  without  so  much  as  disturbing 
people's  sleep;  the  farmer  grumbles  a  bit,  but  sups 
none  the  less  wholesomely  on  what  remains.  You 
come  up  blowing  gloriously  on  a  trumpet,  take  away  the 
whole  sheep,  and  beat  the  farmer  pitifully  into  the 
bargain.  I  have  no  trumpet;  I  am  only  Tom,  Dick,  or 
Harry;  I  am  a  rogue  and  a  dog,  and  hanging's  too 
good  for  me — with  all  my  heart;  but  just  ask  the 
farmer  which  of  us  he  prefers,  just  find  out  which  of 
us  he  lies  awake  to  curse  on  cold  nights." 

"  Look  at  us  two,"  said  his  lordship.  "  I  am  old, 
strong,  and  honored.  If  I  were  turned  from  my  house 
to-morrow,  hundreds  would  be  proud  to  shelter  me. 
Poor  people  would  go  out  and  pass  the  night  in  the 
streets  with  their  children,  if  I  merely  hinted  that  I 
wished  to  be  alone.  And  I  find  you  up,  wandering 
homeless,  and  picking  farthings  off  dead  women  by  the 
wayside  !  I  fear  no  man  and  nothing;  I  have  seen 
you  tremble  and  lose  countenance  at  a  word.  I  wait 
God's  summons  contentedly  in  my  own  house,  or,  if  it 
please  the  king  to  call  me  out  again,  upon  the  field  of 
battle.  You  look  for  the  gallows;  a  rough,  swift  death, 
without  hope  or  honor.  Is  there  no  difference  between 
these  two  ? " 

"As  far  as  to  the  moon,"  Villon  acquiesced.  "  But 
if  I  had  been  born  lord  of  Brisetout,  and  you  had  been 
the  poor  scholar  Francis,  would  the  difference  have 
been  any  the  less  ?  Should  not  I  have  been  warming 
my  knees  at  this  charcoal  pan,  and  would  not  you 
have  been  groping  for  farthings  in  the  snow  ?  Should 
not  I  have  been  the  soldier,  and  you  the  thief?  " 

"  A  thief  ?  "  cried  the  old  man.  "  I  a  thief  !  If  you 
understood  your  words,  you  would  repent  them." 


164  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

Villon  turned  out  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of  inimit- 
able impudence.     "  \i  your  lordship  had  done  me  the 

honor  to  follow  my  argument  !  "  he  said. 

"1  do  you  too  much  honor  in  submitting  to  your 
presence,"  said  the  knight.  "  Learn  to  curb  your 
tongue  when  you  speak  with  old  and  honorable  men, 
or  someone  hastier  than  I  may  reprove  you  in  a  sharper 
fashion."  And  he  rose  and  paced  the  lower  end  of  the 
apartment,  struggling  with  anger  and  antipathy.  Villon 
surreptitiously  refilled  his  cup,  and  settled  himself 
more  comfortably  in  the  chair,  crossing  his  knees  and 
leaning  his  head  upon  one  hand  and  the  elbow  against 
the  back  of  the  chair.  He  was  now  replete  and  warm; 
and  he  was  in  nowise  frightened  for  his  host,  having 
gauged  him  as  justly  as  was  possible  between  two  such 
different  characters.  The  night  was  far  spent,  and  in 
a  very  comfortable  fashion  after  all;  and  he  felt  mor- 
ally certain  of  a  safe  departure  on  the  morrow. 

"  Tell  me  one  thing,"  said  the  old  man,  pausing  in 
his  walk.     "  Are  you  really  a  thief  ?  " 

"  I  claim  the  sacred  rights  of  hospitality,"  returned 
the  poet.     "  My  lord,  I  am." 

"  You  are  very  young,"  the  knight  continued. 

"  I  should  never  have  been  so'old,"  replied  Villon, 
showing  his  fingers,  "if  I  had  not  helped  myself  with 
these  ten  talents.  They  have  been  my  nursing  mothers 
and  my  nursing  fathers." 

"You  may  still  repent  and  change." 

"I  repent  daily,"  said  the  poet.  "There  are  few 
people  more  given  to  repentance  than  poor  Francis. 
As  for  change,  let  somebody  change  my  circumstances. 
A  man  must  continue  to  eat,  if  it  were  only  that  he 
may  continue  to  repent." 

"  The  change  must  begin  in  the  heart,"  returned  the 
old  man  solemnly. 

"My  dear  lord,"  answered  Villon,  "do  you  really 
fancy  that  I  steal  for  pleasure  ?  I  hate  stealing,  like 
any  other  piece  of  work  or  of  danger.  My  teeth  chat- 
ter when  I  see  a  gallows.    But  I  must  eat,  I  must  drink, 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT.  265 

I  must  mix  in  society  of  some  sort.  What  the  devil ! 
Man  is  not  a  solitary  animal — Cui  Deus  fccminam 
tradit.  Make  me  king's  pantler — make  me  abbot  of 
St.  Denis;  make  me  bailly  of  the  Patatrac;  and  then  I 
shall  be  changed  indeed.  But  as  long  as  you  leave 
me  the  poor  scholar  Francis  Villon,  without  a  farthing, 
why,  of  course,  I  remain  the  same." 

"  The  grace  of  God  is  all-powerful." 

"I  should  be  a  heretic  to  question  it,"  said  Francis. 
"  It  has  made  you  lord  of  Brisetout  and  bailly  of  the 
Patatrac;  it  has  given  me  nothing  but  the  quick  wits 
under  my  hat  and  these  ten  toes  upon  my  hands.  May 
I  help  myself  to  wine  ?  I  thank  you  respectfully.  By 
God's  grace,  you  have  a  very  superior  vintage." 

The  lord  of  Brisetout  walked  to  and  fro  with  his 
hands  behind  his  back.  Perhaps  he  was  not  yet  quite 
settled  in  his  mind  about  the  parallel  between  thieves 
and  soldiers;  perhaps  Villon  had  interested  him  by 
some  cross-thread  of  sympathy;  perhaps  his  wits  were 
simply  muddled  by  so  much  unfamiliar  reasoning;  but 
whatever  the  cause,  he  somehow  yearned  to  convert 
the  young  man  to  a  better  way  of  thinking,  and  could 
not  make  up  his  mind  to  drive  him  forth  again  into  the 
street. 

"  There  is  something  more  than  I  can  understand  in 
this,"  he  said  at  length.  "  Your  mouth  is  full  of  sub- 
tleties, and  the  devil  has  led  you  very  far  astray  ;  but 
the  devil  is  only  a  very  weak  spirit  before  God's  truth, 
and  all  his  subtleties  vanish  at  a  word  of  true  honor,  like 
darkness  at  morning.  Listen  to  me  once  more.  I 
learned  long  ago  that  a  gentleman  should  live  chival- 
rously and  lovingly  to  God,  and  the  king,  and  his  lady; 
and  though  I  have  seen  many  strange  things  done,  I 
have  still  striven  to  command  my  ways  upon  that  rule. 
It  is  not  only  written  in  all  noble  histories,  but  in  every 
man's  heart,  if  he  will  take  care  to  read.  You  speak 
of  food  and  wine,  and  I  know  very  well  that  hunger  is 
a  difficult  trial  to  endure  ;  but  you  do  not  speak  of 
other  wants;  you  say  nothing  of  honor,  of  faith  to  God 


B4S6  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

.nnl  other  men,  of  courtesy,  of  love  without  reproach. 
It  in. iv  be  that  I  am  not  very  wise — and  yet  I  think.  I 
am — but  you  seem  to  me  like  one  who  has  lost  his  way 
and  made  a  great  error  in  life.  You  arc  attending  to 
the  little  wants,  and  you  have  totally  forgotten  the 
great  and  only  real  ones,  like  a  man  who  should  be 
•  'ring  toothache  on  the  Judgment  Day.  For  such 
things  as  honor  and  love  and  faith  are  not  only  nobler 
than  food  and  drink,  but  indeed  I  think  we  desire  them 
more,  and  suffer  more  sharply  for  their  absence.  I 
speak  to  you  as  I  think  you  will  most  easily  understand 
me.  Are  you  not,  while  careful  to  fill  your  belly,  dis- 
regarding another  appetite  in  your  heart,  which  spoils 
the  pleasure  of  your  life  and  keeps  you  continually 
wretched  ?  " 

Villon  was  sensibly  nettled  under  all  this  sermon- 
izing. "  You  think  I  have  no  sense  of  honor  !  "  he 
cried.  "  I'm  poor  enough,  God  knows  !  It's  hard  to 
see  rich  people  with  their  gloves,  and  you  blowing  in 
your  hands.  An  empty  belly  is  a  bitter  thing,  although 
you  speak  so  lightly  of  it.  If  you  had  had  as  many  as 
I,  perhaps  you  would  change  your  tune.  Any  way  I'm 
a  thief — make  the  most  of  that — but  I'm  not  a  devil 
from  hell,  God  strike  me  dead.  I  would  have  you  to 
know  I've  an  honor  of  my  own,  as  good  as  yours, 
though  I  don't  prate  about  it  all  day  long,  as  if  it  was 
.1  God's  miracle  to  have  any.  It  seems  quite  natural 
to  me;  I  keep  it  in  its  box  till  its  wanted.  Why  now, 
look  you  here,  how  long  have  I  been  in  this  room  with 
you  ?  Did  you  not  tell  me  you  were  alone  in  the 
house?  Look  at  your  gold  plate!  You're  strong,  if 
you  like,  but  you're  old  and  unarmed,  and  I  have 
my  knife.  What  did  I  want  but  a  jerk  of  the  elbow 
and  here  would  have  been  you  with  the  cold  steel  in 
your  bowels,  and  there  Would  have  been  me,  linking  in 
the  streets,  with  an  armful  of  golden  cups  !  Did  you 
suppose  I  hadn't  wit  enough  to  see  that  ?  And  I  scorned 
the  action.  There  are  your  damned  goblets,  as  safe  as 
in  a  church;  there  are  you,  with  your  heart  ticking  as 


A  LODGING  FOR   THE  NIGHT.  2G7 

good  as  new  ;  and  here  am  I,  ready  to  go  out  again  as 
poor  as  I  came  in,  with  my  one  white  that  you  threw 
in  my  teeth  !    And  you  think  I  have  no  sense  of  honor. 
— God  strike  me  dead  !  " 

The  old  man  stretched  out  his  right  arm.  "I  will 
tell  you  what  you  are,"  he  said.  "  You  are  a  rogue, 
my  man,  an  impudent  and  black-hearted  rogue  and 
vagabond.  I  have  passed  an  hour  with  you.  Oh  ! 
believe  me,  I  feel  myself  disgraced  !  And  you  have 
eaten  and  drunk  at  my  table.  But  now  I  am  sick  at 
your  presence;  the  day  has  come,  and  the  night-bird 
should  be  off  to  his  roost.  Will  you  go  before,  or 
after  ? " 

"  Which  you  please,"  returned  the  poet,  rising.  "  I 
believe  you  to  be  strictly  honorable."  He  thoughtfully 
emptied  his  cup.  "  I  wish  I  could  add  you  were  intelli- 
gent," he  went  on,  knocking  on  his  head  with  his 
knuckles.  "  Age !  age  !  the  brains  stiff  and  rheu- 
matic." 

The  old  man  preceded  him  from  a  point  of  self- 
respect;  Villon  followed,  whistling,  with  his  thumbs  in 
his  girdle. 

"  God  pity  you,"  said  the  lord  of  Brisetout  at  the 
door. 

"  Good-bye,  papa,"  returned  Villon  with  a  yawn. 
"  Many  thanks  for  the  cold  mutton." 

The  door  closed  behind  him.  The  dawn  was  break- 
ing over  the  white  roofs.  A  chill,  uncomfortable  morn- 
ing ushered  in  the  day.  Villon  stood  and  heartily 
stretched  himself  in  the  middle  of  the  road. 

"  A  very  dull  old  gentleman,"  he  thought.  "  I  wonder 
what  his  goblets  may  be  worth." 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALfiTROIT'S 
DOOR. 


THE  SIRE  DE  MAL&TROITS  DOOR. 


DENIS  DE  BEAULIEU  was  not  yet  tvvo-and- 
tvventy,  but  he  counted  himself  a  grown  man,  and 
a  very  accomplished  cavalier  into  the  bargain.  Lads 
were  early  formed  in  that  rough,  warfaring  epoch  ;  and 
when  one  has  been  in  a  pitched  battle  and  a  dozen 
raids,  has  killed  one's  man  in  an  honorable  fashion,  and 
knows  a  thing  or  two  of  strategy  and  mankind,  a  cer- 
tain swagger  in  the  gait  is  surely  to  be  pardoned.  He 
had  put  up  his  horse  with  due  care,  and  supped  with 
due  deliberation  ;  and  then,  in  a  very  agreeable  frame 
of  mind,  went  out  to  pay  a  visit  in  the  gray  of  the 
evening.  It  was  not  a  very  wise  proceeding  on  the 
young  man's  part.  He  would  have  done  better  to 
remain  beside  the  fire  or  go  decently  to  bed.  For  the 
town  was  full  of  the  troops  of  Burgundy  and  England 
under  a  mixed  command  ;  and  though  Denis  was  there 
on  safe-conduct,  his  safe-conduct  was  like  to  serve  him 
little  on  a  chance  encounter. 

It  was  September,  1429  ;  the  weather  had  fallen 
sharp  ;  a  flighty  piping  wind,  laden  with  showers,  beat 
about  the  township  ;  and  the  dead  leaves  ran  riot  along 
the  streets.  Here  and  there  a  window  was  already 
lighted  up  ;  and  the  noise  of  men-at-arms  making 
merry  over  supper  within,  came  forth  in  fits  and  was 
swallowed  up  and  carried  away  by  the  wind.  The 
night  fell  swiftly  ;  the  flag  of  England,  fluttering  on 
the  spire-top,  grew  ever  fainter  and  fainter  against  the 
flying  clouds — a  black  speck  like  a  swallow  in  the 
tumultuous,  leaden  chaos  of  the  sky.  As  the  night  fell 
the  wind  rose,  and  began  to  hoot  under  archways  and 
roar  amid  the  tree-tops  in  the  valley  below  the  town. 

Denis  de  Beaulieu  walked  fast  and  was  soon  knock- 
271 


fJ2  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

ing  at  his  friend's  door  ;  but  though  he  promised  him- 
self to  stay  only  a  little  while  and  make  an  early  return, 
his  welcome  was  so  pleasant,  and  he  found  so  much  to 
delay  him,  that  it  was  already  long  past  midnight 
before  he  said  good-bye  upon  the  threshold.  The 
wind  had  fallen  again  in  the  meanwhile  ;  the  night  was 
as  black  as  the  grave  ;  not  a  star,  nor  a  glimmer  of 
moonshine,  slipped  through  the  canopy  of  cloud. 
Denis  was  ill-acquainted  with  the  intricate  lanes  of 
Chateau  Landon  ;  even  by  daylight  he  had  found  some 
trouble  in  picking  his  way;  and  in  this  absolute  dark- 
ness he  soon  lost  it  altogether.  He  was  certain  of  one 
thing  only — to  keep  mounting  the  hill ;  for  his  friend's 
house  lay  at  the  lower  end,  or  tail,  of  Chateau  Landon, 
while  the  inn  was  up  at  the  head,  under  the  great 
church  spire.  With  this  clue  to  go  upon  he  stumbled 
and  groped  forward,  now  breathing  more  freely  in  open 
places  where  there  was  a  good  slice  of  sky  overhead, 
now  feeling  along  the  wall  in  stifling  closes.  It  is  an 
eerie  and  mysterious  position  to  be  thus  submerged  in 
opaque  blackness  in  an  almost  unknown  town.  The 
silence  is  terrifying  in  its  possibilities.  The  touch  of 
cold  window  bars  to  the  exploring  hand  startles  the 
man  like  the  touch  of  a  toad  ;  the  inequalities  of  the 
pavement  shake  his  heart  into  his  mouth  ;  a  piece  of 
denser  darkness  threatens  an  ambuscade  or  a  chasm 
in  the  pathway  ;  and  where  the  air  is  brighter,  the 
houses  put  on  strange  and  bewildering  appearances,  as 
if  to  lead  him  farther  from  his  way.  For  Denis,  who 
had  to  regain  his  inn  without  attracting  notice,  there 
was  real  danger  as  well  as  mere  discomfort  in  the  walk  ; 
and  he  went  warily  and  boldly  at  once,  and  at  every 
corner  paused  to  make  an  observation. 

He  had  been  for  some  time  threading  a  lane  so  nar- 
row that  he  could  touch  a  wall  with  either  hand  when 
it  began  to  open  out  and  go  sharply  downward.  Plainly 
this  lay  no  longer  in  the  direction  of  his  inn  ;  but  the 
hope  of  a  little  more  light  tempted  him  forward  to 
reconnoitre.     The  lane  ended  in  a  terrace  with  a  barti- 


THE  SIRE  DE  MAL^TROIT'S  DOOR.  273 

zan  wall,  which  gave  an  outlook  between  high  houses, 
as  out  of  an  embrasure,  into  the  valley  lying  dark  and 
formless  several  hundred  feet  below.  Denis  looked 
down,  and  could  discern  a  few  tree-tops  waving  and  a 
single  speck  of  brightness  where  the  river  ran  across  a 
weir.  The  weather  was  clearing  up,  and  the  sky  had 
lightened,  so  as  to  show  the  outline  of  the  heavier 
clouds  and  the  dark  margin  of  the  hills.  By  the 
uncertain  glimmer,  the  house  on  his  left  hand  should 
be  a  place  of  some  pretensions  ;  it  was  surmounted  by 
several  pinnacles  and  turret-tops  ;  the  round  stern  of 
a  chapel,  with  a  fringe  of  flying  buttresses,  projected 
boldly  from  the  main  block  ;  and  the  door  was  sheltered 
under  a  deep  porch  carved  with  figures  and  overhung 
by  two  long  gargoyles.  The  windows  of  the  chapel 
gleamed  through  their  intricate  tracery  with  a  light  as 
of  many  tapers,  and  threw  out  the  buttresses  and  the 
peaked  roof  in  a  more  intense  blackness  against  the 
sky.  It  was  plainly  the  hotel  of  some  great  family  of 
the  neighborhood  ;  and  as  it  reminded  Denis  of  a  town 
house  of  his  own  at  Bourges,  he  stood  for  some  time 
gazing  up  at  it  and  mentally  gauging  the  skill  of  the 
architects  and  the  consideration  of  the  two  families. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  issue  to  the  terrace  but  the 
lane  by  which  he  had  reached  it  ;  he  could  only  retrace 
his  steps,  but  he  had  gained  some  notion  of  his  where- 
abouts, and  hoped  by  this  means  to  hit  the  main 
thoroughfare  and  speedily  regain  the  inn.  He  was 
reckoning  without  that  chapter  of  accidents  which  was 
to  make  this  night  memorable  above  all  others  in  his 
career  ;  for  he  had  not  gone  back  above  a  hundred 
yards  before  he  saw  a  light  coming  to  meet  him,  and 
heard  loud  voices  speaking  together  in  the  echoing 
narrows  of  the  lane.  It  was  a  party  of  men-at-arms 
going  the  night  round  with  torches.  Denis  assured 
himself  that  they  had  all  been  making  free  with  the 
wine-bowl,  and  were  in  no  mood  to  be  particular  about 
safe-conducts  or  the  niceties  of  chivalrous  war.  It  was 
as  like  as  not  that  they  would  kill  him  like  a  dog  and 


i~,  i  VEW  AR  \BIAN  NIGHTS. 

leave  him  where  he  fell.  The  situation  was  inspiriting 
but  nervous.  Their  own  torches  would  conceal  him 
from  sight,  he  reflected  ;  and  he  hoped  that  they  would 
drown  the  n  rise  of  hi.  footsteps  with  their  own  empty 
It  he  w<  re  but  fleet  and  silent,  he  might  evade 
their  notice  altogether. 

Unfortunately,  as  he  turned  to  heat  a  retreat,  his  foot 
rolled  upon  a  pebble  ;  he  fell  against  the  wall  with  an 
ejaculation,  and  his  sword  rang  loudly  on  the  stones. 
Two  or  three  voices  demanded  who  went  there — some 
in  French,  some  in  English  ;  but  Denis  made  no  reply, 
and  ran  the  faster  down  the  lane.  Once  upon  the 
terrace,  he  paused  to  look  back.  They  still  kept  call- 
ing after  him,  and  just  then  began  to  double  the  pace 
in  pursuit,  with  a  considerable  clank  of  armor,  and 
great  tossing  of  the  torchlight  to  and  fro  in  the  narrow 
jaws  of  the  passage. 

Denis  cast  a  look  around  and  darted  into  the  porch. 
There  he  might  escape  observation,  or — if  that  were 
too  much  to  expect — was  in  a  capital  posture  whether 
for  parley  or  defence.  So  thinking,  he  drew  his  sword 
and  tried  to  set  his  back  against  the  door.  To  his  sur- 
prise, it  yielded  behind  his  weight  ;  and  though  he 
turned  in  a  moment,  continued  to  swing  back  on  oiled 
and  noiseless  hinges,  until  it  stood  wide  open  on  a 
black  interior.  When  things  fall  out  opportunely  for 
the  person  concerned,  he  is  not  apt  to  be  critical  about 
the  how  or  why,  his  own  immediate  personal  conven- 
ience seeming  a  sufficient  reason  for  the  strangest 
oddities  and  revolutions  in  our  sublunary  things  ;  and 
so  Denis,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  stepped  within 
and  partly  closed  the  door  behind  him  to  conceal  his 
place  of  refuge.  Nothing  was  further  from  his 
thoughts  than  to  close  it  altogether  ;  but  for  some 
inexplicable  reason — perhaps  by  a  spring  or  a  weight 
— the  ponderous  mass  of  oak  whipped  itself  out  of  his 
fingers  and  clanked  to,  with  a  formidable  rumble  and 
a  noise  like  the  falling  of  an  automatic  bar. 

The  round,  at  that  very   moment,   debouched  upon 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT S  DOOR.         275 

the  terrace  and  proceeded  to  summon  him  with  shouts 
and  curses.  He  heard  them  ferreting  in  the  dark 
corners;  the  stock  of  a  lance  even  rattled  along  the 
outer  surface  of  the  door  behind  which  he  stood  ;  but 
these  gentlemen  were  in  too  high  a  humor  to  be  long 
delayed,  and  soon  made  off  down  a  corkscrew  pathway 
which  had  escaped  Denis's  observation,  and  passed  out 
of  sight  and  hearing  along  the  battlements  of  the 
town. 

Denis  breathed  again.  He  gave  them  a  few  minutes' 
grace  for  fear  of  accidents,  and  then  groped  about  for 
some  means  of  opening  the  door  and  slipping  forth 
again.  The  inner  surface  was  quite  smooth,  not  a 
handle,  not  a  moulding,  not  a  projection  of  any  sort. 
He  got  his  finger-nails  round  the  edges  and  pulled,  but 
the  mass  was  immovable.  He  shook  it,  it  was  as  firm 
as  a  rock.  Denis  de  Beaulieu  frowned  and  gave  vent 
to  a  little  noiseless  whistle.  What  ailed  the  door  ?  he 
wondered.  Why  was  it  open  ?  How  came  it  to  shut  so 
easily  and  so  effectually  after  him  ?  There  was  some- 
thing obscure  and  underhand  about  all  this,  that  was 
little  to  the  young  man's  fancy.  It  looked  like  a  snare, 
and  yet  who  could  suppose  a  snare  in  such  a  quiet 
by-street  and  in  a  house  of  so  prosperous  and  even 
noble  an  exterior  ?  And  yet — snare  or  no  snare,  inten- 
tionally or  unintentionally — here  he  was,  prettily 
trapped  ;  and  for  the  life  of  him  he  could  see  no  way 
out  of  it  again.  The  darkness  began  to  weigh  upon 
him.  He  gave  ear  ;  all  was  silent  without,  but  within 
and  close  by  he  seemed  to  catch  a  faint  sighing,  a  faint 
sobbing  rustle,  a  little  stealthy  creak — as  though  many 
persons  were  at  his  side,  holding  themselves  quite  still, 
and  governing  even  their  respiration  with  the  extreme 
of  slyness.  The  idea  went  to  his  vitals  with  a  shock, 
and  he  faced  about  suddenly  as  if  to  defend  his  life. 
Then,  for  the  first  time,  he  became  aware  of  a  light 
about  the  level  of  his  eyes  and  at  some  distance  in  the 
interior  of  the  house— a  vertical  thread  of  light,  widen- 
ing towards  the  bottom,  such  as  might  escape  between 


fj6  ,\7  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

two  wrings  of  arris  over  a  doorway.  To  sec  anything 
was  a  relief  to  Denis ;  it  was  like  a  piece  of  solid  ground 
to  a  man  laboring  in  a  morass  ;  his  mind  seized  upon 
it  with  avidity;  and  he  stood  staring  at  it  and  trying 
to  piece  together  some  logical  conception  of  his  sur- 
roundings. Plainly  there  was  a  flight  of  Steps  ascend- 
ing from  his  own  level  to  that  of  this  illuminated  door- 
way ;  and  indeed  he  thought  he  could  make  out 
another  thread  of  light,  as  fine  as  a  needle  and  as  faint  as 
phosphorescence,  which  might  very  well  be  reflected 
along  the  polished  wood  of  a  handrail.  Since  he  had 
begun  to  suspect  that  he  was  not  alone,  his  heart  had 
continued  to  beat  with  smothering  violence,  and  an 
intolerable  desire  for  action  of  any  sort  had  possessed 
itself  of  his  spirit.  He  was  in  deadly  peril,  he  believed. 
What  could  be  more  natural  than  to  mount  the  stair- 
case, lift  the  curtain,  and  confront  his  difficulty  at 
once?  At  least  he  would  be  dealing  with  something 
tangible  ;  at  least  he  would  be  no  longer  in  the  dark. 
He  stepped  slowly  forward  with  outstretched  hands, 
until  his  foot  struck  the  bottom  step  ;  then  he  rapidly 
scaled  the  stairs,  stood  for  a  moment  to  compose  his 
expression,  lifted  the  arras  and  went  in. 

He  found  himself  in  a  large  apartment  of  pol- 
ished stone.  There  were  three  doors;  one  on  each 
of  three  sides;  all  similarly  curtained  with  tapestry. 
The  fourth  side  was  occupied  by  two  large  windows 
and  a  great  stone  chimney-piece,  carved  with  the  arms 
of  the  Maletroits.  I  )enis  recognized  the  bearings,  and 
was  gratified  to  find  himself  in  such  good  hands.  The 
room  was  strongly  illuminated;  but  it  contained  little 
furniture  except  a  heavy  table  and  a  chair  or  two,  the 
hearth  was  innocent  of  fire,  and  the  pavement  was  but 
sparsely  strewn  with  rushes  clearly  many  days  old. 

On  a  high  chair  beside  the  chimney,  and  directly 
facing  Denis  as  he  entered,  sat  a  little  old  gentleman 
in  a  fur  tippet.  He  sat  with  his  legs  crossed  and  his 
hands  folded,  and  a  cup  of  spiced  wine  stood  by  his 
elbow  on  a  bracket  on  the  wall.      His  countenance  had 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT  S  DOOR.  277 

a  strongly  masculine  cast;  not  properly  human,  but 
such  as  we  see  in  the  bull,  the  goat,"  or  the  domestic 
boar;  something  equivocal  and  wheedling,  something 
greedy,  brutal,  and  dangerous.  The  upper  lip  was 
inordinately  full,  as  though  swollen  by  a  blow  or  a 
toothache;  and  the  smile,  the  peaked  eyebrows,  and 
the  small,  strong  eyes  were  quaintly  and  almost  comic- 
ally evil  in  expression.  Beautiful  white  hair  hung 
straight  all  round  his  head,  like  a  saint's,  and  fell  in  a 
single  curl  upon  the  tippet.  His  beard  and  moustache 
were  the  pink  of  venerable  sweetness.  Age,  probably 
in  consequence  of  inordinate  precautions,  had  left  no 
mark  upon  his  hands;  and  the  Maletroit  hand  was 
famous.  It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  anything  at 
once  so  fleshy  and  so  delicate  in  design;  the  taper, 
sensual  fingers  were  like  those  of  one  of  Leonardo's 
women;  the  fork  of  the  thumb  made  a  dimpled  pro- 
tuberance when  closed;  the  nails  were  perfectly  shaped, 
and  of  a  dead,  surprising  whiteness.  It  rendered  his 
aspect  tenfold  more  redoubtable,  that  a  man  with  hands 
like  these  should  keep  them  devoutly  folded  like  a 
virgin  martyr — that  a  man  with  so  intent  and  startling 
an  expression  of  face  should  sit  patiently  on  his  seat 
and  contemplate  people  with  an  unwinking  stare,  like 
a  god,  or  a  god's  statue.  His  quiescence  seemed  iron- 
ical and  treacherous,  it  fitted  so  poorly  with  his  looks. 

Such  was  Alain,  Sire  de  Maletroit. 

Denis  and  he  looked  silently  at  each  other  for  a 
second  or  two. 

"  Pray  step  in,"  said  the  Sire  de  Maletroit.  "  I  have 
been  expecting  you  all  the  evening." 

He  had  not  risen  but  he  accompanied  his  words 
with  a  smile  and  a  slight  but  courteous  inclination  of 
the  head.  Partly  from  the  smile,  partly  from  the 
strange  musical  murmur  with  which  the  Sire  prefaced 
his  observation,  Denis  felt  a  strong  shudder  of  disgust 
go  through  his  marrow.  And  what  with  disgust  and 
honest  confusion  of  mind,  he  could  scarcely  get  words 
together  in  reply. 


I}8  M  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"  I  fear,"  he  said,  "  that  this  is  a  double  accident.  1 
am  not  the  person  you  suppose  me.  Itseems  you  were 
looking  for  a  visit;  but  for  my  part,  nothing  was  fur- 
ther from  my  thoughts — nothing  could  be  more  con- 
trary to  my  wishes— than  this  intrusion,  " 

"  Well,  well,"  replied  the  old  gentleman  indulgently, 
"here  you  are,  which  is  the  main  point.  Seat  yourself 
my  friend,  and  put  yourself  entirely  at  your  ease.  We 
shall  arrange  our  little  affairs  presently." 

J  >cnis  perceived  that  the  matter  was  still  complicated 
with  some  misconception,  and  he  hastened  to  continue 
his  explanations. 
"  Your  door  .    .    .    ."  he  began. 

"About  my  door?"  asked  the  other  raising  his 
peaked  eyebrows.  "A  little  piece  of  ingenuity." 
And  he  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  A  hospitable  fancy  ! 
By  your  own  account,  you  were  not  desirous  of  mak- 
ing my  acquaintance.  We  old  people  look  for  such 
reluctance  now  and  then;  when  it  touches  our 
honor,  we  cast  about  until  we  find  some  way  of  over- 
coming it.  You  arrive  uninvited,  but  believe  me, 
very  welcome.  " 

"  You  persist  in  error,  sir,  "  said  Denis.  "  There 
can  be  no  question  between  you  and  me.  I  am  a 
stranger  in  this  countryside.  My  name  is  Denis, 
damoiseau  de  Beaulieu.  If  you  see  me  in  your  house. 
it  is  only  — 

"My  young  friend,"  interrupted  the  other,  "you 
will  permit  me  to  have  my  own  ideas  on  that  subject. 
They  probably  differ  from  yours  at  the  present 
moment,"  he  added  with  a  leer,  "but  time  will  show 
which  of  us  is  in  the  right." 

1  ><  nis  was  convinced  he  had  to  do  with  a  lunatic. 
He  seated  himself  with  a  shrug,  content  to  wait  the 
upshot;  and  a  pause  ensued,  during  which  he  thought 
he  could  distinguish  a  hurried  gabbling  as  of  prayer 
from  behind  the  arras  immediately  opposite  him. 
Sometimes  there  seemed  to  be  but  one  person  engaged, 
sometimes  two;  and  the  vehemence  of  the  voice,  low 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR.         279 

as  it  was,  seemed  to  indicate  either  great  haste  or  an 
agony  of  spirit.  It  occurred  to  him  that  this  piece  of 
tapestry  covered  the  entrance  to  the  chapel  he  had 
noticed  from  without. 

The  old  gentleman  meanwhile  surveyed  Denis  from 
head  to  foot  with  a  smile,  and  from  time  to  time 
emitted  little  noises  like  a  bird  or  a  mouse,  which 
seemed  to  indicate  a  high  degree  of  satisfaction.  This 
state  of  matters  became  rapidly  insupportable;  and 
Denis,  to  put  an  end  to  it,  remarked  politely  that  the 
wind  had  gone  down. 

The  old  gentleman  fell  into  a  fit  of  silent  laughter, 
so  prolonged  and  violent  that  he  became  quite  red  in 
the  face.  Denis  got  upon  his  feet  at  once,  and  put  on 
his  hat  with  a  nourish. 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "if  you  are  in  your  wits,  you  have 
affronted  me  grossly.  If  you  are  out  of  them,  I  flatter 
myseif  I  can  find  better  employment  for  my  brains 
than  to  talk  with  lunatics.  My  conscience  is  clear; 
you  have  made  a  fool  of  me  from  the  first  moment;  you 
have  refused  to  hear  my  explanations;  and  now  there  is 
no  power  under  God  will  make  me  stay  here  any  longer; 
and  if  I  cannot  make  my  way  out  in  a  more  decent 
fashion,  I  will  hack  your  door  in  pieces  with  my  sword." 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  raised  his  right  hand  and 
wagged  it  at  Denis  with  the  fore  and  little  fingers 
extended. 

"  My  dear  nephew,"  he  said,  "  sit  down." 

"Nephew!"  retorted  Denis,  "you  lie  in  your 
throat;"  and  he  snapped  his  fingers  in  his  face. 

"  Sit  down,  you  rogue  !  "  cried  the  old  gentleman, 
in  a  sudden,  harsh  voice,  like  the  barking  of  a  dog. 
"  Do  you  fancy,"  he  went  on,  "  that  when  I  had  made 
my  little  contrivance  for  the  door  I  had  stopped  short 
with  that  ?  If  you  prefer  to  be  bound  hand  and  foot 
till  youi  bones  ache,  rise  and  try  to  go  away.  If  you 
choose  to  remain  a  free  young  buck,  agreeably  con- 
versing with  an  old  gentleman — why,  sit  where  you  are 
in  peace,  and  God  be  with  you." 


aSo  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"  Do  you  mean  T  am  a  prisoner?"  demanded  Denix 

"  I  state  the  facts,"  replied  the  other.  "  I  would 
rather  leave  the  conclusion  to  yourself." 

Denis  sat  down  again.  Externally  he  managed  to 
keep  pretty  i  aim,  but  within,  he  was  now  boiling  with 
•-,  now  chilled  with  apprehension.  He  no  longer 
felt  convinced  that  he  was  dealing  with  a  madman. 
And  if  the  old  gentleman  was  sane,  what,  in  God's 
name,  had  he  to  look  for?  What  absurd  or  tragical 
adventure  had  befallen  him  ?  What  countenance  was 
he  to  assume  ? 

While  he  was  thus  unpleasantly  reflecting,  the  arras 
that  overhung  the  chapel  door  was  raised,  and  a  tall 
priest  in  his  robes  came  forth  and,  giving  a  long,  keen 
stare  at  Denis  said  something  in  an  undertone  to  Sire 
de  Maletroit. 

"  She  is  in  a  better  frame  of  spirit  ? "  asked  the 
latter. 

"She  is  more  resigned,  messire,"  replied  the  priest. 

"  Now  the  Lord  help  her,  she  is  hard  to  please  !  " 
sneered  the  old  gentleman.  "A  likely  stripling — not 
ill-born — and  of  her  own  choosing,  too  ?  Why,  what 
more  would  the  jade  have  ?" 

"  The  situation  is  not  usual  for  a  young  damsel." 
said  the  other,  "and  somewhat  trying  to  her  blushes." 

"She  should  have  thought  of  that  before  she  began 
the  dance  ?  It  was  none  of  my  choosing,  God  knows 
that:  but  since  she  is  in  it,  by  our  lady,  she  shall  carry 
it  to  the  end."  And  then  addressing  Denis,  "  Monsieur 
de  Beaulieu,"  he  asked,  "  may  I  present  you  to  my 
niece  ?  She  has  been  waiting  your  arrival,  I  may  say, 
with  even  greater  imnatience  than  myself." 

Denis  had  resigned  himself  with  a  good  grace — all 
he  desired  was  to  know  the  worst  of  it  as  speedily  as 
possible;  so  he  rose  at  once,  and  bowed  in  acquies- 
cence. The  Sire  de  Maletroit  followed  his  example 
and  limped,  with  the  assistance  of  the  chaplain's  arm, 
towards  the  chapel-door.  The  priest  pulled  aside  the 
arras,  and  all   three  entered.     The  building  had  con' 


THE  SIRE  BE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR.  281 

siderable  architectural  pretensions.  A  light  groining 
sprang  from  six  stout  columns,  and  hung  down  in  two 
rich  pendants  from  the  centre  of  the  vault.  The  place 
terminated  behind  the  altar  in  a  round  end,  embossed 
and  honeycombed  with  a  superfluity  of  ornament  in 
relief,  and  pierced  by  many  little  windows  shaped  like 
stars,  trefoils,  or  wheels.  These  windows  were  imper- 
fectly glazed,  so  that  the  night  air  circulated  freely  in 
the  chapel.  The  tapers,  of  which  there  must  have 
been  half  a  hundred  burning  on  the  altar,  were 
unmercifully  blown  about;  and  the  light  went  through 
many  different  phases  of  brilliancy  and  semi-eclipse. 
On  the  steps  in  front  of  the  altar  knelt  a  young  girl 
richly  attired  as  a  bride.  A  chill  settled  over  Denis  as 
he  observed  her  costume;  he  fought  with  desperate 
energy  against  the  conclusion  that  was  being  thrust 
upon  his  mind;  it  could  not — it  should  not — be  as  he 
feared. 

"Blanche,"  said  the  Sire,  in  his  most  flute-like  tones, 
"  I  have  brought  a  friend  to  see  you,  my  little  girl ; 
turn  round  and  give  him  your  pretty  hand.  It  is 
good  to  be  devout ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  be  polite  my 
niece." 

The  girl  rose  to  her  feet  and  turned  toward  the  now 
comers.  She  moved  all  of  a  piece  ;  and  shame  and 
exhaustion  were  expressed  in  every  line  of  her  fresh 
young  body  ;  and  she  held  her  head  down  and  kept 
her  eyes  upon  the  pavement,  as  she  came  slowly  for- 
ward. In  the  course  of  her  advance,  her  eyes  fell  upon 
Denis  de  Beaulieu's  feet — feet  of  which  he  was  justly 
vain,  be  it  remarked,  and  wore  in  the  most  elegant 
accoutrement  even  while  traveling.  She  paused — 
started,  as  if  his  yellow  boots  had  conveyed  some 
shocking  meaning — and  glanced  suddenly  up  into  the 
wearer's  countenance.  Their  eyes  met ;  shame  gave 
place  to  horror  and  terror  in  her  looks  ;  the  blood  left 
her  lips  ;  with  a  piercing  scream  she  covered  her 
face  with  her  hands  and  sank  upon  the  chapel 
floor. 


>8a  HEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

"That  is  not  the  man!"  she  cried.  "My  uncle, 
that  is  not  the  man  !  " 

The  Sire  ile  Maletroit  chirped  agreeably.  "Of 
course  not,"  he  said,  "  1  expected  as  much.  It  was 
so  unfortunate  you  could  not  remember  his  name." 

"  Indeed,"  she  cried,  "indeed,  I  have  never  seen 
this  person  till  this  moment — I  have  never  so  much  as 
set  eyes  upon  him — 1  never  wish  to  see  him  again. 
Sir,"  she  said,  turning  to  Denis,  "  if  you  are  a  gentle- 
man, you  will  bear  me  out.  Have  I  ever  seen  you — ■ 
have  you  ever  seen  me — before  this  accursed  hour  ?  " 

"  To  speak  for  myself,  I  have  never  had  that  pleas- 
ure," answered  the  young  man.  "This  is  the  first 
time,  messire,  that  I  have  met  with  your  engaging 
niece." 

The  old  gentleman  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"lam  distressed  to  hear  it,"  he  said.  "  But  it  is 
never  too  late  to  begin.  I  had  little  more  acquaintance 
with  my  own  late  lady  ere  I  married  her ;  which 
proves,"  he  added,  with  a  grimace,  "  that  these 
impromptu  marriages  may  often  produce  an  excellent 
understanding  in  the  long  run.  As  the  bridegroom  is 
to  have  a  voice  in  the  matter,  I  will  give  him  two  hours 
to  make  up  for  lost  time  before  we  proceed  with  the 
ceremony."  And  he  turned  toward  the  door,  followed 
by  the  clergyman. 

The  girl  was  on  her  feet  in  a  moment.  "  My  uncle, 
you  cannot  be  in  earnest,"  she  said.  "  I  declare  before 
God  I  will  stab  myself  rather  than  be  forced  on  that 
young  man.  The  heart  rises  at  it  ;  God  forbids  such 
marriages;  you  dishonor  your  white  hair.  Oh,  my  uncle, 
pity  me  !  There  is  not  a  woman  in  all  the  world  but 
would  prefer  death  to  such  a  nuptial.  Is  it  possible," 
she  added,  faltering — "  is  it  possible  that  you  do  not 
believe  me — that  you  still  think  this  " — and  she  pointed 
at  Denis  with  a  tremor  of  anger  and  contempt — "that 
you  still  think  this  to  be  the  man  ?" 

"  Frankly,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  pausing  on  the 
threshold,  "  I  do.     But  let  me  explain  to  you  once  for 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETRO.ITS  DOOR.  283 

all,  Blanche  de  Maletroit,  my  way  of  thinking  about 
this  affair.  When  you  took  it  into  your  head  to  dishonor 
my  family  and  the  name  that  I  have  borne,  in  peace 
and  war,  for  more  than  three-score  years,  you  forfeited, 
not  only  the  right  to  question  my  designs,  but  that  of 
looking  me  in  the  face.  If  your  father  had  been  alive, 
he  would  have  spat  on  you  and  turned  you  out  of 
doors.  His  was  the  hand  of  iron.  You  may  bless 
your  God  you  have  only  to  deal  with  the  hand  of  vel- 
ret,  mademoiselle.  It  was  my  duty  to  get  you  married 
without  delay.  Out  of  pure  good-will,  I  have  tried  to 
find  your  own  gallant  for  you.  And  I  believe  I  have 
succeeded.  But  before  God  and  all  the  holy  angels, 
Blanche  de  Maletroit,  if  I  have  not,  I  care  not  one 
jack-straw.  So  let  me  recommend  you  to  be  polite  to 
our  young  friend  ;  for  upon  my  word,  your  next  groom 
may  be  less  appetizing  " 

And  with  that  he  went  out,  with  the  chaplain  at  his 
heels  ;  and  the  arras  fell  behind  the  pair. 

The  girl  turned  upon  Denis  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  And  what,  sir,"  she  demanded,  "  may  be  the  mean- 
ing of  all  this  ?  " 

"  God  knows,"  returned  Denis,  gloomily.  *'  I  am  3 
prisoner  in  this  house,  which  seems  full  of  mad  people. 
More  I  know  not  ;  and  nothing  do  I  understand-  " 

"  And  pray  how  came  you  here,"  she  asked. 

He  told  her  as  briefly'as  he  could.  "  For  the  rest  " 
he  added,  "perhaps  you  will  follow  my  example,  and 
tell  me  the  answer  to  all  these  riddles,  and  what,  in 
God's  name,  is  like  to  be  the  end  of  it." 

She  stood  silent  for  a  little,  and  he  could  see  h^r 
lips  tremble  and  her  tearless  eyes  burn  with  a  feverish 
lustre.     Then  she  pressed  her  forehead  in  both  hands. 

"  Alas,  how  my  head  aches  !  "  she  said  wearily — "'  lo 
say  nothing  of  my  poor  heart  !  But  it  is  due  to  you  to 
know  my  story,  unmaidenly  as  it  must  seem.  I  am 
called  Blanche  de  Maletroit  ;  I  have  been  without 
father  or  mother  for — oh!  for  as  long  as  I  can  recol- 
lect, and  indeed  I  have  been  most  unhappy  all  my  life 


184  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

Three  months  ago  a  young  captain  began  to  stand 
near  me  every  day  m  church.  I  could  see  that  I 
I  i  d  him  ;  I  am  much  to  blame,  bul  I  was  so  glad 
that  anyone  should  love  mi  ;  and  when  he  passed 
me  a  letter,  !  took  it  home  with  me  and  read  it  with 
•  pleasure,  since  that  time  he  has  written  many. 
He  was  so  anxious  to  speak  with  me,  poor  fellow  !  and 
kept  asking  me  to  leave  the  door  open  some  evening 
that  we  might  have  two  words  upon  the  stair.  For  he 
knew  how  much  my  uncle  trusted  me."  She  gave 
something  like  a  sob  at  that,  and  it  was  a  moment 
before  she  could  go  on.  "My  uncle  is  a  hard  man, 
but  he  is  very  shrewd,*'  she  said  at  last.  "  He  has 
performed  many  feats  in  war,  and  was  a  great  person 
at  court,  and  much  trusted  by  Queen  Isabeau  in  old 
days.  How  he  came  to  suspect  me  I  cannot  tell  ;  but 
it  is  hard  to  keep  anything  from  his  knowledge  ;  and 
this  morning,  as  we  came  from  mass,  he  took  my  hand 
into  his,  forced  it  open,  and  read  my  little  billet,  walk- 
ing by  my  side  all  the  while.  When  he  finished,  he 
gave  it  back  to  me  with  great  politeness.  It  con- 
tained another  request  to  have  the  door  left  open  ;  and 
this  has  been  the  ruin  of  us  all.  My  uncle  kept  me 
strictly  in  my  room  until  evening,  and  then  ordered  me 
to  dre'ss  myself  as  you  see  me — a  hard  mockery  for  a 
young  girl,  do  you  not  think  so  ?  I  suppose,  when  he 
could  not  prevail  with  me  to  tell  him  the  young  cap- 
tain's name,  he  must  have  laid  a  trap  for  him  :  into 
which,  alas  !  you  have  fallen  in  the  anger  of  God.  I 
looked  for  much  confusion  ;  for  how  could  I  tell 
whether  he  was  willing  to  take  me  for  his  wife  on  these 
sharp  terms?  He  might  have  been  trifling  with  me 
from  the  first  ;  or  I  might  have  made  myself  too  cheap 
in  his  eyes.  But  truly  I  had  not  looked  for  such  a 
shameful  punishment  as  this  !  I  could  not  think  that 
God  would  let  a  girl  be  so  disgraced  before  a  young 
man.  And  now  1  tell  you  all;  and  I  can  scarcely  hope 
that  you  will  not  despise  me.  " 

Denis  made  her  a  respectful  inclination. 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR.         285 

"  Madam,"  he  said,  "  you  have  honored  me  by  your 
confidence.  It  remains  for  me  to  prove  that  I  am 
not  unworthy  of  the  honor.  Is  Messire  de  Maletroit 
at  hand  ?  " 

"  I  believe  he  is  writing  in  the  salle  without,"  she 
answered. 

"  May  I  lead  you  thither,  madam  ?"  asked  Denis, 
offering  his  hand  with  his  most  courtly  bearing. 

She  accepted  it  ;  and  the  pair  passed  out  of  the 
chapel,  Blanche  in  a  very  drooping  and  shamefast  con- 
dition, but  Dennis  strutting  and  ruffling  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  a  mission,  and  the  boyish  certainty  of 
accomplishing  it  with  honor. 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  rose  to  meet  them  with  an 
ironical  obeisance. 

"Sir,"  said  Denis,  with  the  grandest  possible  air,  "I 
believe  I  am  to  have  some  say  in  the  matter  of  this 
marriage  ;  and  let  me  tell  you  at  once,  I  will  be  no 
party  to  forcing  the  inclination  of  this  younglady.  Had  it 
been  freely  offered  to  me,  I  should  have  been  proud 
to  accept  her  hand,  for  I  perceive  she  is  as  good  as 
she  is  beautiful  ;  but  as  things  are,  I  have  now  the 
honor,    messire,  of  refusing." 

Blanche  looked  at  him  with  gratitude  in  her  eyes  ; 
but  the  old  gentleman  only  smiled  and  smiled,  until  his 
smile  grew  positively  sickening  to  Denis. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  "  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu, 
that  you  do  not  perfectly  understand  the  choice  I  have 
offered  you.  Follow  me,  I  beseech  you,  to  this  win- 
dow." And  he  led  the  way  to  one  of  the  large  win- 
dows which  stood  open  on  the  night.  "You  observe," 
he  went  on,  "  tlr;re  is  an  iron  ring  in  the  upper 
masonry,  and  reeved  through  that,  a  very  efficacious 
rope.  Now,  mark  my  words:  if  you  should  find  your 
disinclination  to  my  niece's  person  insurmountable,  I 
shall  have  you  hanged  out  of  this  window  before  sun- 
rise. I  shall  only  proceed  to  such  an  extremity  with 
the  greatest  regret,  you  may  believe  me.  For  it  is  not 
at  all  your  death   that   I  desire,   but    my  niece's  estab- 


186  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

lishment  in  life.  At  the  same  time,  it  must  come  to 
that  if  you  prove  obstinate.  Your  family,  Monsieur 
d  Beaulieu,  is  very  well  in  its  way;  but  if  you  sprang 
from  Charlemagne,  you  should  not  refuse  the  hand  oi 
a  Maletroit  with  impunity — not  if  she  had  beenascom- 
moii  as  the  Paris  road — not  if  she  were  as  hideous  as 
the  gargoyle  over  my  door.  Neither  my  niece  nor  you, 
nor  my  own  private  feelings,  move  me  at  all  in  this 
matter.  The  honor  of  my  house  has  been  compro- 
mised ;  I  believe  you  to  be  the  guilty  person, 
at  least  you  are  now  in  the  secret  ;  and  you 
can  hardly  wonder  if  I  request  you  to  wipe  out  the 
stain.  If  you  will  not,  your  blood  be  on  your  own 
head  !  It  will  be  no  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  have 
your  interesting  relics  kicking  their  heels  in  the  breeze 
below  my  windows,  but  half  a  loaf  is  better  than  no 
bread,  and  if  I  cannot  cure  the  dishonor,  I  shall  at 
least  stop  the  scandal." 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  I  believe  there  are  other  ways  of  settling  such 
imbroglios  among  gentlemen,"  said  Denis.  "  You  wear  a 
sword,  and  I  hear  you  have  used  it  with  distinction." 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  made  a  signal  to  the  chaplain, 
who  crossed  the  room  with  long  silent  strides  and  raised 
the  arras  over  the  third  of  the  three  doors.  It  was  only 
a  moment  before  he  let  it  fall  again  ;  but  Denis  had 
time  to  see  a  dusky  passage  full  of  armed  men. 

"  When  I  was  a  little  younger,  I  should  have  been 
delighted  to  honor  you,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,"  said 
Sire  Alain  ;  "  but  I  am  now  too  old.  Faithful  retainers 
are  the  sinews  of  age,  and  I  must  employ  the  strength  I 
have.  This  is  one  of  the  hardest  things  to  swallow  as  a 
man  grows  up  in  years  ;  but  with  a  little  patience,  even 
this  becomes  habitual.  You  and  the  lady  seem  to 
prefer  the  salle  for  what  remains  of  your  two  hours  ; 
and  as  I  have  no  desire  to  cross  your  preference,  I  shall 
resign  it  to  your  use  with  all  the  pleasure  in  the  world. 
No  haste  !  "  he  added,  holding  up  his  hand,  as  he  saw 
a  dangerous  look  come  into  Denis  de  Beaulieu's  face. 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR.  287 

u  If  your  mind  revolt  against  hanging,  it  will  be  time 
enough  two  hours  hence  to  throw  yourself  out  of  the 
window  or  upon  the  pikes  of  my  retainers.  Two  hours 
of  life  are  always  two  hours.  A  great  many  things 
may  turn  up  in  even  as  little  a  while  as  that.  And, 
besides,  if  I  understand  her  appearance,  my  niece  has 
something  to  say  to  you.  You  will  not  disfigure  your 
last  hours  by  a  want  of  politeness  to  a  lady  ?  " 

Denis  looked  at  Blanche,  and  she  made  him  an 
imploring  gesture. 

It  is  likely  that  the  old  gentleman  was  hugely  pleased 
at  this  symptom  of  an  understanding  ;  for  he  smiled  on 
both,  and  added  sweetly  :  "  If  you  will  give  me  your 
word  of  honor,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  to  await  my 
return  at  the  end  of  the  two  hours  before  attempting 
anything  desperate,  I  shall  withdraw  my  retainers,  and 
let  you  speak  in  greater  privacy  with  mademoiselle." 

Denis  again  glanced  at  the  girl,  who  seemed  to 
beseech  him  to  agree. 

"  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor,"  he  said. 

Messire  de  Maletroit  bowed,  and  proceeded  to  limp 
about  the  apartment,  clearing  his  throat  the  while  with 
that  odd  musical  chirp  which  had  already  grown  so 
irritating  in  the  ears  of  Denis  de  Beaulieu.  He  first 
possessed  himself  of  some  papers  which  lay  upon  the 
table  ;  then  he  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  passage  and 
appeared  to  give  an  order  to  the  men  behind  the  arras  ; 
and  lastly  he  hobbled  out  through  the  door  by  which 
Denis  had  come  in,  turning  upon  the  threshold  to 
address  a  last  smiling  bow  to  the  young  couple,  and 
followed  by  the  chaplain  with  a  hand-lamp. 

No  sooner  were  they  alone  than  Blanche  advanced 
towards  Denis  with  her  hands  extended.  Her  face  was 
flushed  and  excited,  and  her  eyes  shone  with  tears. 

"  You  shall  not  die  !  "  she  cried,  "  you  shall  marry 
me  after  all." 

"You  seem  to  think,  madam,"  replied  Denis,  "that 
I  stand  much  in  fear  of  death." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,"  she  said,  "I  see  you  are  no  poltroon. 


r8S  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

It  is  for  my  own  sake— I  could  not  bear  to  have  you 
slain  for  such  a  scruple." 

"  1  am  afraid,"  returned  Denis,  "  that  you  underrate 
the  difficulty,  madam.     What  you  may  be  too  generous 

to  refuse,  1  may  he  too  proud  to  accept.  In  a  moment 
of  noble  feeling  towards  me,  you  forgot  what  you  per- 
haps owe  to  others." 

He  had  the  decency  to  keep  his  eyes  on  the  floor  as 
he  said  this,  and  after  he  had  finished,  so  as  not  to 
spy  upon  her  confusion.  She  stood  silent  foramoment, 
then  walked  suddenly  away,  and  falling  on  her  uncle's 
chair,  fairly  burst  out  sobbing.  Uenis  was  in  the  acme 
of  embarrassment.  lie  looked  round,  as  if  to  seek  for 
inspiration,  and  seeing  a  stool,  plumped  down  upon  it 
for  something  to  do.  There  he  sat  playing  with  the 
guard  of  his  rapier,  and  wishing  himself  dead  a  thousand 
times  over,  and  buried  in  the  nastiest  kitchen-heap  in 
France.  His  eyes  wandered  round  the  apartment,  but 
found  nothing  to  arrest  them.  There  were  such  wide 
spaces  between  the  furniture,  the  light  fell  so  badly  and 
cheerlessly  over  all,  the  dark  outside  air  looked  in  so 
coldly  through  the  windows,  that  he  thought  he  had 
never  seen  a  church  so  vast,  nor  a  tomb  so  melancholy. 
The  regular  sobs  of  Blanche  de  Maletroit  measured  out 
the  time  like  the  ticking  of  a  clock.  He  read  the 
device  upon  the  shield  over  and  over  again,  until  his 
eyes  became  obscured  ;  he  stared  into  shadowy  corners 
until  he  imagined  they  were  swarming  with  horrible 
animals  ;  and  every  now  and  again  he  awoke  with  a 
start,  to  remember  that  his  last  two  hours  were  running, 
and  death  was  on  the  march. 

Oftener  and  oftener,  as  the  time  went  on,  did  his 
glance  settle  on  the  girl  herself.  Her  face  was  bowed 
forward  and  covered  with  her  hands,  and  she  was 
shaken  at  intervals  by  the  convulsive  hiccup  of  grief. 
Even  thus  she  was  not  an  unpleasant  object  to  dwell 
upon,  so  plump  and  yet  so  fine,  with  a  warm  brown 
skin,  and  the  most  beautiful  hair,  Denis  thought,  in 
the  whole  world  of  womankind.     Her  hands  were  like 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR.  289 

her  uncle's  :  but  they  were  more  in  place  at  the  end  of 
her  young  arms,  and  looked  infinitely  soft  and  caress- 
ing. He  remembered  how  her  blue  eyes  had  shone 
upon  him,  full  of  anger,  pity,  and  innocence.  And  the 
more  he  dwelt  on  her  perfections,  the  uglier  death 
looked,  and  the  more  deeply  was  he  smitten  with  peni- 
tence at  her  continued  tears.  Now  he  felt  that  no 
man  could  have  the  courage  to  leave  a  world  which 
contained  so  beautiful  a  creature  ;  and  now  he  would 
have  given  forty  minutes  of  his  last  hour  to  have  unsaid 
his  cruel  speech. 

Suddenly  a  hoarse  and  ragged  peal  of  cockcrow 
rose  to  their  ears  from  the  dark  valley  below  the  win- 
dows. And  this  shattering  noise  in  the  silence  of  all 
around  was  like  a  light  in  a  dark  place,  and  shook 
them  both  out  of  their  reflections. 

"  Alas,  can  I  do  nothing  to  help  you  ?"  she  said, 
looking  up. 

''  Madam,"  replied  Denis,  with  a  fine  irrelevancy, 
"  if  I  have  said  anything  to  wound  you,  believe  me,  it 
was  for  your  own  sake  and  not  for  mine." 

She  thanked  him  with  a  tearful  look. 

"  I  feel  your  position  cruelly,"  he  went  on.  "  The 
world  has  been  bitter  hard  on  you.  Your  uncle  is  a 
disgrace  to  mankind.  Believe  me,  madam,  there  is  no 
young  gentleman  in  all  France  but  would  be  glad  of 
my  opportunity,  to  die  in  doing  you  a  momentary  ser- 
vice." 

"I  know  already  that  you  can  be  very  brave  and 
generous,"  she  answered.  "  What  I  want  to  know  is 
whether  I  can  serve  you — now  or  afterwards,"  she 
added,  with  a  quaver. 

"  Most  certainly,"  he  answered  with  a  smile.  "  Let 
me  sit  beside  you  as  if  I  were  a  friend,  instead  of  a 
foolish  intruder  ;  try  to  forget  how  awkwardly  we  are 
placed  to  one  another  ;  make  my  last  moments  go 
pleasantly  ;  and  you  will  do  me  the  chief  service  pos- 
sible." 

"  You    are  very     gallant,"  she    added,  with    a    yet 


290  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

deeper    sadness "very  gallant and   it 

sora  :how  pains  me.  But  draw  nearer,  if  you  pl< 
and  it'  you  find  anything  to  say  to  me, you  will  at  least 
make  certain  of  a  very  friendly  listener.  Ah!  Monsieur 
de  Beaulieu,"  she  broke  forth — "ah!  Monsieur  de 
Beaulieu, how  can  I  look  you  in  the  face?"  And  she 
>  again  with  a  renewed  effusion. 

"  Madam,"  said  Denis,  taking  her  hand  in  both  of 
Ids,  "  reflect  on  the  little  time  1  have  before  me,  and 
_reat  bitterness  into  which  1  am  cast  by  the  sight 
of  your  distress.  Spare  me,  in  my  last  moments,  the 
spectacle  of  what  I  cannot  cure  even  with  the  sacrifice 
of  my  life." 

"  I  am  very  selfish,"  answered  Blanche.  "  I  will  be 
braver,  Monsieur  de  beaulieu,  for  your  sake,  but 
think  if  I  can  do  you  no  kindness  in  the  future — if 
you  have  no  friends  to  whom  I  could  carry  your 
adieux.  Charge  me  as  heavily  as  you  can  ;  every  bur- 
den will  lighten,  by  so  little,  the  invaluable  gratitude  I 
owe  you.  Pit  it  in  my  power  to  do  something  more 
for  you  than  weep." 

"  My  mother  is  married  again,  and  has  a  young 
family  to  care  for.  My  brother  Guichard  will  inherit 
my  fiefs;  and  if  I  am  not  in  error,  that  will  content 
him  amply  for  my  death.  Life  is  a  little  vapor  that 
passeth  away,  as  we  are  told  by  those  in  holy  orders. 
When  a  man  is  in  a  fair  way  and  sees  all  life  open  in 
front  of  him,  he  seems  to  himself  to  make  a  very  impor- 
tant figure  in  the  woild.  His  horse  whinnies  to  him; 
the  trumpets  blow  and  the  girls  look  out  of  window  as 
he  rides  into  town  before  his  company;  he  receives 
many  assurances  of  trust  and  regard — sometimes  by 
express  in  a  letter — sometimes  face  to  face,  with  per- 
sons of  great  consequence  falling  on  his  neck.  It  is 
not  wonderful  if  his  head  is  turned  for  a  time.  But 
once  he  is  dead,  were  he  as  brave  as  Hercules  or  as 
wise  as  Solomon,  he  is  soon  forgotten.  It  is  not  tin 
years  since  my  father  fell,  with  many  other  kni-hts 
around  him,  in  a  very  fierce  encounter,  and  I  do  not 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROITS  DOOR.  29I 

think  that  any  one  of  them,  nor  so  much  as  the  name 
of  the  fight,  is  now  remembered.  No,  no,  madam, 
the  nearer  you  come  to  it,  you  see  that  death  is  a 
dark  and  dusty  corner,  where  a  man  gets  into  his 
tomb  and  has  the  door  shut  after  him  till  the  judgment 
day.  I  have  few  friends  just  now,  and  once  I  am 
dead  I  shall  have  none." 

"  Ah,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu  !"  she  exclaimed,  "you 
forget  Blanche  de  Maletroit." 

"  You  have  a  sweet  nature,  madam,  and  you  are 
pleased  to  estimate  a  little  service  far  beyond  its 
worth." 

"  It  is  not  that,"  she  answered.  "  You  mistake  me 
if  you  think  I  am  easily  touched  by  my  own  concerns. 
I  say  so,  because  you  are  the  noblest  man  I  have  ever 
met  ;  because  I  recognize  in  you  a  spirit  that  would 
have  made  even  a  common  person  famous  in  the  land." 
"  And  yet  here  I  die  in  a  mousetrap — with  no  more 
noise  about  it  than  my  own  squeaking,"  answered  he. 

A  look  of  pain  crossed  her  face,  and  she  was  silent 
for  a  little  while.  Then  a  light  came  into  her  eyes, 
and  with  a  smile  she  spoke  again. 

"  I  cannot  have  my  champion  think  meanly  of  him- 
self. Anyone  who  gives  his  life  for  another  will  be 
met  in  Paradise  by  all  the  heralds  and  angels  of  the 
Lord  God.  And  you  have  no  such  cause  to  hang 
your  head.  For  ....  Pray,  do  you  think  me  beau- 
tiful ? "  she  asked,  with  a  deep  flush. 
"  Indeed,  madam,  I  do,"  he  said. 
"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  she  answered  heartily.  "  Do 
you  think  there  are  many  men  in  France  who  have 
been  asked  in  marriage  by  a  beautiful  maiden — with 
her  own  lips — and  who  have  refused  her  to  her  face  ? 
I  know  you  men  would  half  despise  such  a  triumph  ; 
but  believe  me,  we  women  know  more  of  what  is  pre- 
cious in  love.  There  is  nothing  that  should  set  a  person 
higher  in  his  own  esteem  ;  and  we  women  would  prize 
nothing  more  dearly." 

"You  are  very  good,"  he  said;  "but  you  cannot 


2()2  W  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

make  me  forget  that  I  was  asked  in  pity  and  not  for 

"I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  she  replied,  holding 
down  her  head.  "Hear  me  to  an  end,  Monsieur  de 
lieu.  I  know  how  you  mu  t  despise  me;  1  feel 
you  are  right  to  do  so;   I  poor  a  creature  to 

o<  cupy  one  thougl  •  r  mind,  although,  ala  i !  you 

must  die  for  me  this  morning.  But  when  1  asked  you 
to  marry  me,  indeed,  and  indeed,  it  was  because  I 
respected  and  admired  you,  and  loved  you  with  my 
whole  soul,  from  the  very  moment  that  you  took  my 
part  against  my  uncle.  If  you  had  seen  yourself,  and 
how  noble  you  looked,  you  would  pity  rather  than 
despise  me.  And  now,"  she  went  on,  hurriedly  check- 
ing him  with  her  hand,  "although  I  have  laid  aside  all 
reserve  and  told  you  so  much,  remember  that  I  know 
your  sentiments  towards  me  already.  I  would  not, 
believe  me,  being  nobly  born,  weary  you  with  impor- 
tunities into  consent.  I  too  have  a  pride  of  my  own  : 
and  I  declare  before  the  holy  mother  of  God,  if  you 
should  now  go  back  from  your  word  already  given,  I 
would  no  more  marry  you  than  I  would  marry  my 
uncle's  groom." 

Denis  smiled  a  little  bitterly. 

"It  is  a  small  love,"  he  said,  "that  shies  at  a  little 
pride." 

She  made  no  answer,  although  she  probably  had  her 
own  thoughts. 

"Come  hither  to  the  window,"*he  said  with  a  sigh. 
"  Here  is  the  dawn." 

And  indeed  the  dawn  was  already  beginning.  The 
hollow  of  the  sky  was  full  of  essential  daylight,  color- 
and  (lean  ;  and  the  valley  underneath  was  flooded 
with  a  gray  reflection.  A  few  thin  vapors  clung  in  the 
coves  of  the  forest  or  lay  along  the  winding  course  of 
the  river.  The  scene  disengaged  a  surprising  effect  of 
stillness,  which  was  hardly  interrupted  when  the  cocks 
began  once  more  to  crow  among  the  steadings.  Per- 
haps the  same  fellow  who  had  made  so  horrid  a  clangor 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR.  2133 

in  the  darkness  not  half  an  hour  before,  now  sent  up  the 
merriest  cheer  to  greet  the  coming  day.  A  little  wind 
went  bustling  and  eddying  among  the  tree-tops  under- 
neath the  windows.  And  still  the  daylight  kept  flood- 
ing insensibly  out  of  the  east,  which  was  soon  to  grow 
incandescent  and  cast  up  that  red-hot  cannon-ball,  the 
rising  sun. 

Denis  looked  out  over  all  this  with  a  bit  of  a  shiver. 
He  had  taken  her  hand,  and  retained  it  in  his  almost 
unconsciously. 

"  Has  the  day  begun  already  ?  "  she  said  ;  and  then, 
illogically  enough  :  "  the  night  has  been  so  long ! 
Alas  !  what  shall  we  say  to  my  uncle  when  he  returns  ?  " 

"What  you  will,"  said  Denis,  and  he  pressed  her  fin- 
gers in  his. 

She  was  silent. 

"  Blanche,"  he  said,  with  a  swift,  uncertain,  passion- 
ate utterance,  "  you  have  seen  whether  I  fear  death.. 
You  must  know  well  enough  that  I  would  as  gladly 
leap  out  of  that  window  into  the  empty  air  as  to  lay  a 
finger  on  you  without  your  free  and  full  consent.  But 
if  you  care  for  me  at  all  do  not  let  me  lose  my  life  in  a 
misapprehension  ;  for  I  love  you  better  than  the  whole 
world  ;  and  though  I  will  die  for  you  blithely,  it  would 
be  like  all  the  joys  of  Paradise  to  live  on  and  spend  my 
life  in  your  service." 

As  he  stopped  speaking,  a  bell  began  to  ring  loudly 
in  the  interior  of  the  house  ;  and  a  clatter  of  armor  in 
the  corridor  showed  that  the  retainers  were  returning 
to  their  post,  and  the  two  hours  were  at  an  end. 

"  After  all  that  you  have  heard  ? "  she  whispered, 
leaning  towards  him  with  her  lips  and  eyes. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing,"  he  replied. 

"The  captain's  name  was  Florimond  de  Champ- 
divers,"  she  said  in  his  ear. 

"I  did  not  hear  it,"  he  answered,  taking  her  supple 
body  in  his  arms,  and  covered  her  wet  face  with  kisses. 

A  melodious  chirping  was  audible  behind,  followed 
by  a  beautiful  chuckle,  and  the  voice  of  Messire  de 
Maletroit  wished  his  new  nephew  a  good  morning. 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR. 


PROVIDENCE  AND   THE  GUITAR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

MONSIEUR  LEON  BERTHELINI  had  a  great 
care  of  his  appearance,  and  sedulously  suited 
his  deportment  to  the  costume  of  the  hour.  He 
affected  something  Spanish  in  his  air,  and  something 
of  the  bandit,  with  a  flavor  of  Rembrandt  at  home 
In  person  he  was  decidedly  small  and  inclined  to  be 
stout  ;  his  face  was  the  picture  of  good  humor  ;  his 
dark  eyes,  which  were  very  expressive,  told  of  a  kind 
heart,  a  brisk,  merry  nature,  and  the  most  indefatigable 
spirits.  If  he  had  worn  the  clothes  of  the  period  you 
would  have  set  him  down  for  a  hitherto  undiscovered 
hybrid  between  the  barber,  the  innkeeper,  and  the 
affable  dispensing  chemist.  But  in  the  outrageous 
bravery  of  velvet  jacket  and  flapped  hat,  with  trousers 
that  were  more  accurately  described  as  fleshings,  a 
white  handkerchief  cavalierly  knotted  at  his  neck,  a 
shock  of  Olympian  curls  upon  his  brow,  and  his  feet 
shod  through  all  weathers  in  the  slenderest  of  Moliere 
shoes — you  had  but  to  look  at  him  and  you  knew  you 
were  in  the  presence  of  a  Great  Creature.  When  he 
wore  an  overcoat  he  scorned  to  pass  the  sleeves  ;  a 
single  button  held  it  round  his  shoulders  ;  it  was 
tossed  backwards  after  the  manner  of  a  cloak,  and 
carried  with  the  gait  and  presence  of  an  Almaviva.  I 
am  of  opinion  that  M.  Berthelini  was  nearing  forty. 
But  he  had  a  boy's  heart,  gloried  in  his  finery,  and 
walked  through  life  like  a  child  in  a  perpetual  dramatic 
performance.  If  he  were  not  Almaviva  after  all,  it 
was  not  for  lack  of  making  believe.  And  he  enjoyed 
the  artist's  compensation.  If  he  were  not  really 
297 


398  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

Almaviva,  he  was  sometimes  just  as  happy  as  though 
he  were. 

I  have  seen  him,  at  moments  when  he  has  fancied 
himself  alone  with  his  Maker,  adopt  so  gay  and 
chivalrous  a  bearing,  and  represent  his  own  part  with 
so  much  warmth  and  conscience,  that  the  illusion 
became  catching,  and  I  believed  implicitly  in  the  Great 
Creature's  pose. 

But,  alas !  life  cannot  be  entirely  conducted  on 
these  principles  ;  man  cannot  live  by  Almavivery 
alone  ;  and  the  Great  Creature,  having  failed  upon 
several  theatres,  was  obliged  to  step  down  every  even- 
ing from  his  heights,  and  sing  from  half-a-dozcn  to  a 
dozen  comic  songs,  twang  a  guitar,  keep  a  country 
audience  in  good  humor,  and  preside  finally  over  the 
mysteries  of  a  tombola. 

Madame  Berthelini,  who  was  art  and  part  with  him 
in  these  undignified  labors,  had  perhaps  a  higher  posi- 
tion in  the  scale  of  beings,  and  enjoyed  a  natural  dig- 
nity  of  her  own.  But  her  heart  was  not  any  more 
rightly  placed,  for  that  would  have  been  impossible; 
and  she  had  acquired  a  little  air  of  melancholy,  attrac- 
tive enough  in  its  way,  but  not  good  to  see  like  the 
wholesome,  sky-scraping,  boyish  spirits  of  her  lord. 

He,  indeed,  swam  like  a  kite  on  a  fair  wind,  high 
above  earthly  troubles.  Detonations  of  temper  were 
not  unfrequent  in  the  zones  he  traveled;  but  sulky 
fogs  and  tearful  depressions  were  there  alike  unknown. 
A  well-delivered  blow  upon  a  table,  or  a  noble  attitude, 
imitated  from  Melingue  or  Frederic,  relieved  his  irri- 
tation like  a  vengeance.  Though  the  heaven  had  fal- 
len, if  he  had  played  his  part  with  propriety,  Berthelini 
had  been  content  !  And  the  man's  atmosphere,  if  not 
his  example,  reacted  on  his  wife;  for  the  couple  doted 
on  each  other,  and  although  you  would  have  thought 
they  walked  in  different  worlds,  yet  continued  to  walk 
hand  in  hand. 

It  chanced  one  day  that  Monsieur  and  Madame 
Berthelini  descended  with  two  boxes  and  a  guitar  in   a 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  299 

fat  case  at  the  station  of  the  little  town  of  Castel-le- 
Gachis,  and  the  omnibus  carried  them  with  their 
effects  to  the  Hotel  of  the  Black  Head.  This  was  a 
dismal,  conventual  building  in  a  narrow  street,  capable 
of  standing  siege  when  once  the  gates  were  shut,  and 
smelling  strangely  in  the  interior  of  straw  and  choco- 
late and  old  feminine  apparel.  Berthelini  paused 
upon  the  threshold  with  a  painful  premonition.  In 
some  former  state,  it  seemed  to  him,  he  had  visited  a 
hostelry  that  smelt  not  otherwise,  and  been  ill  received. 

The  landlord,  a  tragic  person  in  a  large  felt  hat, 
rose  from  a  business  table  under  the  key-rack,  and 
came  forward,  removing  his  hat  with  both  hands  as  he 
did  so. 

"  Sir,  I  salute  you.  May  I  inquire  what  is  your 
charge  for  artists?"  inquired  Berthelini,  with  a  cour- 
tesy at  once  splendid  and  insinuating. 

"  For  artists  ?  "  said  the  landlord.  His  countenance 
fell  and  the  smile  of  welcome  disappeared.  "  Oh, 
artists  !  "  he  added,  brutally;  "  four  francs  a  day." 
And  he  turned  his  back  upon  these  inconsiderable 
customers. 

A  commercial  traveler  is  received,  he  also,  upon  a 
reduction — yet  is  he  welcome,  yet  can  he  command 
the  fatted  calf;  but  an  artist,  had  he  the  manners  of 
an  Almaviva,  were  he  dressed  like  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory,  is  received  like  a  dog  and  served  like  a  timid 
lady  traveling  alone. 

Accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  rubs  of  his  profession, 
Berthelini  was  unpleasantly  affected  by  the  landlord's 
manner. 

" Elvira,"  said  he  to  his  wife,  "mark  my  words: 
Castel-le-Gachis  is  a  tragic  folly." 

"  Wait  till  we  see  what  we  take,"  replied  Elvira. 

"We  shall  take  nothing,"  returned  Berthelini;  "we 
shall  feed  upon  insults.  I  have  an  eye,  Elvira;  I  have 
a  spirit  of  divination;  and  this  place  is  accursed.  The 
landlord  has  been  discourteous,  the  Commissary  will 
be  brutal,  the  audience  will  be  sordid  and  uproarious, 


300  NI  "'  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

and  you  will  take  a  cold  upon  your  throat.  We  have 
been  besotted  enough  lo  come;  the  die  is  cast — it  will 
be  .1  m  (  ond  Sedan." 

Sedan  was  a  town  hateful  to  the  Berthelinis,  not 
only  from  patriotism  (for  they  were  French,  ami 
answered  after  the  iksli  to  the  somewhat  homely  name 
of  Duval),  but  because  it  had  been  the  scene  of  their 
most  sad  reverses.  In  that  place  they  had  lain  three 
weeks  in  pawn  for  their  hotel  bill,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  a  surprising  stroke  of  fortune  they  might  have  been 
lying  there  in  pawn  until  this  day.  To  mention  the 
name  of  Sedan  was  for  the  Berthelinis  to  dip  the  brush 
in  earthquake  and  eclipse.  Count  Almaviva  slouched 
his  hat  with  a  gesture  expressive  of  despair,  and  even 
Elvira  felt  as  if  ill-fortune  had  been  personally  invoked. 

"  Let  us  ask  for  breakfast,"  said  she,  with  a  woman's 
tact. 

The  Commissary  of  Police  of  Castel-le-Gachis  was 
a  large  red  Commissary,  pimpled,  and  subject  to  a 
strong  cutaneous  transpiration.  I  have  repeated  the 
name  of  his  office  because  he  was  so  very  much  more 
a  Commissary  than  a  man.  The  spirit  of  his  dignity 
had  entered  into  him.  He  carried  his  corporation  as 
if  it  were  something  official.  Whenever  he  insulted 
a  common  citizen  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  were 
adroitly  flattering  the  Government  by  a  side  wind;  in 
default  of  dignity  he  was  brutal  from  an  over-weening 
sense  of  duty.  His  office  was  a  den,  whence  passers- 
by  could  hear  rude  accents  laying  down,  not  the  law, 
but  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Commissary. 

Six:  several  times  in  the  course  of  the  day  did  M. 
Berthelini  hurry  thither  in  quest  of  the  requisite  per- 
mission for  his  evening's  entertainment;  six  several 
times  he  found  the  official  was  abroad.  Leon  Berthe- 
lini began  to  grow  quite  a  familiar  figure  in  the  streets 
of  Castel-le-Gachis;  he  became  a  local  celebrity,  and 
was  pointed  out  as  "  the  man  who  was  looking  for  the 
Commissary."  Idle  children  attached  themselves  to 
his  footsteps,  and  trotted  after  him  back  and  forward 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  301 

between  the  hotel  and  the  office.  Leon  might  try  as 
he  liked;  he  might  roll  cigarettes,  he  might  straddle, 
he  might  cock  his  hat  at  a  dozen  different  jaunty 
inclinations — the  part  of  Almaviva  was,  under  the 
circumstances,  difficult  to  play. 

As  he  passed  the  market-place  upon  the  seventh 
excursion  the  Commissary  was  pointed  out  to  him, 
where  he  stood,  with  his  waistcoat  unbuttoned  and  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  to  superintend  the  sale  and 
measurement  of  butter.  Berthelini  thieaded  his  way 
through  the  market  stalls  and  baskets,  and  accosted  the 
dignitary  with  a  bow  which  was  a  triumph  of  the 
histrionic  art. 

"  I  have  the  honor,*'  he  asked,  '*  of  meeting  M.  le 
Commissaire  ?  " 

The  Commissary  was  affected  by  the  nobility  of  his 
address.  He  excelled  Leon  in  the  depth  if  not  in  the 
airy  grace  of  his  salutation. 

"  The  honor,"  said  he,  "  is  mine  !  " 

"I  am,"  continued  the  strolling-player,  "I  am,  sir, 
an  artist,  and  I  have  permitted  myself  to  interrupt  you 
on  an  affair  of  business.  To-night  I  give  a  trifling 
musical  entertainment  at  the  caf6  of  the  Triumphs  of 
the  Plough — permit  me  to  offer  you  this  little  pro- 
gramme— and  I  have  come  to  ask  you  for  the  necessary 
authorization." 

At  the  word  "  artist,"  the  Commissary  had  replaced 
his  hat  with  the  air  of  a  person  who,  having  conde- 
scended too  far,  should  suddenly  remember  the  duties 
of  his  rank. 

"(In,  go,"  said  he,  "I  am  busy — I  am  measuring 
butter." 

"Heathen  Jew!"  thought  Leon.  "Permit  me, 
sir,"  he  resumed,  aloud.  "  I  have  gone  six  times 
already " 

"Put  up  your  lulls  if  you  choose,"  interrupted 
the  Commissary.  "In  an  hour  or  so  I  will  exam 
ine  your  papers  at  the  office.  But  now  go  :  I  am 
busy." 


3 o 2  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGH TS. 

"Measuring  butter?*1  thought  Berthelint  "Oh, 
France,  and  it  is  for  this  thai  we  made  '93  !  " 

The  preparations  were  soon  made;  the  bills  posted, 
programmes  laid  on  the  dinner-table  of  every  hotel  in 
the  town,  and  a  stage  erected  at  one  end  of  the  Cafe 
the  Triumphs  of  the  Plough;  but  when  Leon 
returned  to  the  office,  the  Commissary  was  once  more 
abrond. 

"lie  is  like  Madame  Benoiton,"  thought  Leon, 
"  Fichu  Commissaire  !  " 

And  just  then  he  met  the  man  face  to  face. 

"  Here,  sir,"  said  he,  "  are  my  papers.  Will  you  be 
pleased  to  verify  ?" 

But  the  Commissary  was  now  intent  upon  dinner. 

"  No  use,"  he  replied,  "no  us:;  I  am  busy;  I  am 
quite  satisfied.     Give  your  entertainment." 

And  he  hurried  on. 

"  Fichu  Commissaire  !  "  thought  Leon. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  audience  was  pretty  large;  and  the  proprietor 
of  the  cafe  made  a  good  thing  of  it  in  beer.  But  the 
Berthelinis  exerted  themselves  in  vain. 

Leon  was  radiant  in  velveteen;  he  had  a  rakish  way 
of  smoking  a  cigarette  between  his  songs  that  was 
worth, money  in  itself;  he  underlined  his  comic  points, 
so  that  the  dullest  numskull  in  Castel-le-Gachis  had  a 
notion  when  to  laugh;  and  he  handled  his  guitar  in  a 
manner  worthy  of  himself.  Indeed  his  play  with  that 
instrument  was  as  good  as  a  whole  romantic  drama;  it 
was  so  dashing,  so  florid,  and  so  cavalier. 

Elvira,  on  the  other  hand,  sang  her  patriotic  and 
romantic  songs  with  more  than  usual  expression;  her 
voice  had  charm  and  plangency;  and  as  Leon  looked 
at  her,  in  her  low-bodied  maroon  dress,  with  her  arms 
bare  to  the  shoulder,  and  a  red  flower  set  provocatively 
in  her  corset,  he  repeated  to  himself  for  the  many  hun- 
dredth time  that  she  was  one  of  the  loveliest  creatures 
in  the  world  of  women. 

Alas !  when  she  went  round  with  the  tambourine, 
the  golden  youth  of  Castel-le-Gachis  turned  from  her 
coldly.  Here  and  there  a  single  halfpenny  was  forth- 
coming ;  the  net  result  of  a  collection  never  exceeded 
half  a  franc  ;  and  the  Maire  himself,  after  seven  differ- 
ent applications,  had  contributed  exactly  twopence.  A 
certain  chill  began  to  settle  upon  the  artists  themselves  ; 
it  seemed  as  if  they  were  singing  to  slugs;  Apollo  him- 
self might  have  lost  heart  with  such  an  ;uidience.  The 
Berthelinis  struggled  against  the  impression  ;  they  put 
their  back  into  their  work,  they  sang  loud  and  louder, 
the  guitar  twanged  like  a  living  thing;  and  at  last  Leon 
arose  in  his  might,  and  burst  with  inimitable  conviction 
into  his  great  song,  "Y  a  des  honnites  gens  partout  /" 
Never  had  he  given  more  proof  of  his  artistic  mastery; 
3°3 


304  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

it  was  his  intimate,  indefeasible  conviction  that  Castel* 
le-G&chis  formed  an  exception  to  the  law  he  was  now 
lyrically  proclaiming,  and  was  peopled  exclusively  by 

thieves  ami  bullies;  and  yet,  as  I  say,  he  flung  it  down 
like  a  challenge,  he  trolled  it  forth  like  an  article  of 
faith  ;  and  his  face  so  beamed  the  while  that  you  would 
have  thought  he  must  make  converts  of  the  benches. 

He  was  at  the  top  of  his  register,  with  his  head 
thrown  hack  and  his  mouth  open,  when  the  dooi  was 
thrown  violently  open,  and  a  pair  of  new  comers 
marched  noisily  into  the  cafe.  It  was  the  Commissary, 
followed  by  the  Garde  Champetre. 

The  undaunted  Berthelini  still  continued  to  proclaim, 
''  Y  a  des  honnetes  gens  partout  !  "  But  now  the  sen- 
timent produced  an  audible  titter  among  the  audience. 
Berthelini  wondered  why  ;  he  did  not  know  the  ante- 
cedents of  the  Garde  Champetre  ;  he  had  never  heard 
of  a  little  story  about  postage  stamps.  But  the  public 
knew  all  about  the  postage  stamps,  and  enjoyed  the 
coincidence  hugely. 

The  Commissary  planted  himself  upon  a  vacant  chair 
with  somewhat  the  air  of  Cromwell  visiting  the  Rump; 
and  spoke  in  occasional  whispers  to  the  Garde  Cham- 
petre, who  remained  respectfully  standing  at  his  back. 
The  eyes  of  both  were  directed  upon  Berthelini,  who 
persisted  in  his  statement. 

"  V  a  des  honnetes  gens  partout,"  he  was  just  chant- 
ing for  the  twentieth  time;  when  up  got  the  Commissary 
upon  his  feet  and  waved  brutally  to  the  singer  with  his 
cane. 

"Is  it  me  you  want  ?"  inquired  Leon,  stopping  in 
his  song. 

It  is  you,"  replied  the  potentate. 

"  Fichu  Commissaire  !  "  thought  Leon,  and  he 
descended  from  the  stage  and  made  his  way  to  the 
functionary. 

"  How  does  it  happen,  sir,"  said  the  Commissary, 
swelling  in  person,  "that  I  find  you  mountebanking 
in  a  public  cafe  without  my  permission  ?" 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  305 

"  Without  ?  "  cried  the  indignant  Leon.  "  Permit 
me  to  remind  you " 

"  Come,  come,  sir  !  "  said  the  Commissary,  "  I  desire 
no  explanations." 

"  I  care  nothing  about  what  you  desire,"  returned 
the  singer.  "  I  choose  to  give  them,  and  I  will  not  be 
gagged.  I  am  an  artist,  sir,  a  distinction  that  you 
cannot  comprehend.  Ireceived  your  permission  and 
stand  here  upon  the  strength  of  it ;  interfere  with  me 
who  dare." 

"  You  have  not  got  my  signature,  I  tell  you,"  cried 
the  Commissary.  "  Show  me  my  signature  !  Where 
is  my  signature  ?  " 

That  was  just  the  question;  where  was  his  signature  ? 
Leon  recognized  that  he  was  in  a  hole  ;  bat  his  spirit 
rose  with  the  occasion,  and  he  blustered  nobly,  tossing 
back  his  curls.  The  Commissary  played  up  to  him  in 
the  character  of  tyrant ;  and  as  the  one  leaned  farther 
forward,  the  other  leaned  farther  back — majesty  con- 
fronting fury.  The  audience  had  transferred  their 
attention  to  this  new  performance,  and  listened  with 
that  silent  gravity  common  to  all  Frenchmen  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  police.  Elvira  had  sat  down,  she 
was  used  to  these  distractions,  and  it  was  rather  melan- 
choly than  fear  that  now  oppressed  her. 

"Another  word,"  cried  the  Commissary,  "and  I 
arrest  you." 

"  Arrest  me  !  "  shouted  Leon.     "  I  defy  you  !  " 

"  I  am  the  Commissary  of  Police,"  said  the  official. 

Leon  commanded  his  feelings,  and  replied,  with 
great  delicacy  of  innuendo — 

"  So  it  would  appear." 

The  point  was  too  refined  for  Castel-le-Gachis  ;  it 
did  not  raise  a  smile  ;  and  as  for  the  Commissary,  he 
simply  bade  the  singer  follow  him  to  his  office,  and 
directed  his  proud  footsteps  towards  the  door.  There 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  obey.  Leon  did  so  with  a 
proper  pantomime  of  indifference,  but  it  was  a  leek  to 
eat,  and  there  was  no  denying  it. 


306  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

The  Maire  had  si i j >{ >(.-<  1  out  and  was  already  waiting 
at  the  Commissary's  door.  Now  the  Maire,  in  France, 
is  the  refuge  of  the  oppressed.  He  stands  between  his 
people  and  the  boisterous  rigors  of  the  Police.    He  can 

sometimes  understand  what  is  said  to  him  ;  he  is  not 
always  puffed  up  beyond  measure  by  his  dignity.  Tis 
a  thing  worth  the  knowledge  of  travelers.  When  all 
seems  over,  and  a  man  has  made  up  his  mind  to  injus- 
tice, he  has  still,  like  the  heroes  of  romance,  a  little 
bugle  at  his  belt  whereon  to  blow  ;  and  the  Maire,  a 
comfortable  dfits  ex  mac/iina,  may  still  descend  to 
deliver  him  from  the  minions  of  the  law.  The  Maire 
of  Castel-le-Gachis,  although  inaccessible  to  the  charms 
of  music  as  retailed  by  the  Berthelinis,  had  no  hesita- 
tion whatever  as  to  the  rights  of  the  matter.  He 
instantly  fell  foul  of  the  Commissary  in  very  high 
terms,  and  the  Commissary,  pricked  by  this  humilia- 
tion, accepted  battle  on  the  point  of  fact.  The  argu- 
ment lasted  some  little  while  with  varying  success, 
until  at  length  victory  inclined  so  plainly  to  the  Com- 
missary's side  that  the  Maire  was  fain  to  re-assert  him- 
self by  an  exercise  of  authority.  He  had  been  out- 
argued,  but  he  was  still  the  Maire.  And  so,  turning 
from  his  interlocutor,  he  briefly  but  kindly  recom- 
mended Leon  to  go  back  instanter  to  his  concert. 

"  It  is  already  growing  late,"  he  added. 

Leon  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice.  He  returned  to 
the  Cafe  of  the  Triumphs  of  the  Plough  with  all  expe- 
dition. Alas  !  the  audience  had  melted  away  during 
his  absence;  Elvira  was  sitting  in  a  very  disconsolate 
attitude  on  the  guitar-box;  she  had  watched  the  com- 
pany dispersing  by  twos  and  threes,  and  the  prolonged 
spectacle  had  somewhat  overwhelmed  her  spirits. 
1  i  h  man,  she  reflected,  retired  with  a  certain  propor- 
tion of  her  earnings  in  his  pockets,  and  she  saw 
to-night's  board  and  to-morrow's  railway  expenses,  and 
finally  even  to-morrow's  dinner,  walk  one  after  another 
out  of  the  cafe  door  and  disappear  into  the  night. 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  she  asked,  languidly. 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  307 

But  Leon  did  not  answer.  He  was  looking  round 
him  on  the  scene  of  defeat.  Scarce  a  score  of 
listeners  remained,  and  these  of  the  least  promising 
sort.  The  minute  hand  of  the  clock  was  already 
climbing  upward  towards  eleven. 

"It's  a  lost  battle,"  said  he,  and  then  taking  up  the 
money-box,  he  turned  it  out.  "  Three  francs  seventy- 
five  !  "  he  cried,  "as  against  four  of  board  and  six  of 
railway  fares;  and  no  time  for  the  tombola  !  Elvira, 
this  is  Waterloo."  And  he  sat  down  and  passed  both 
hands  desperately  among  his  curls.  "  O  Fichu  Com- 
missaire  !  "  he  cried,  "  Fichu  Commissaire  !  " 

"  Let  us  get  the  things  together  and  be  off,"  returned 
Elvira.  "We  might  try  another  song,  but  there  is  not 
six  halfpence  in  the  room." 

"  Six  halfpence  ?  "  cried  Leon,  "  six  hundred  thou- 
sand devils  !  There  is  not  a  human  creature  in  the 
town — nothing  but  pigs  and  dogs  and  commissaries  ! 
Pray  heaven,  we  get  safe  to  bed." 

"  Don't  imagine  things  !  "  exclaimed  Elvira,  with  a 
shudder. 

And  with  that  they  set  to  work  on  their  prepara- 
tions. The  tobacco-jar,  the  cigarette-holder,  the  three 
papers  of  shirt-studs,  which  were  to  have  been  the 
prizes  of  the  tombola  had  the  tombola  come  off,  were 
made  into  a  bundle  with  the  music;  the  guitar  was 
stowed  into  the  fat  guitar-case;  and  Elvira  having 
thrown  a  thin  shawl  about  her  neck  and  shoulders,  the 
pair  issued  from  the  cafe  and  set  off  for  the  Black 
Head. 

As  they  crossed  the  market-place  the  church  bell 
rang  out  eleven.  It  was  a  dark,  mild  night,  and  there 
was  no  one  in  the  streets. 

"It  is  all  very  fine,"  said  Leon:  "but  I  have  a  pre- 
sentiment.    The  night  is  not  yet  done." 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  "  I >l.i<  k  Head"  presented  not  a  single  chink  01 

light  upon  the  street,  and  the  carriage  gale  was  closed. 

"This  is  unprecedented,"  observed  Leon.     "  An  inn 

■  1  by  live  minutes  alter  eleven  !  And  there  were 
sev  -ral  commercial  travelers  in  the  cafe  up  to  a  late 
hour.  Eh  ira,  my  heart  misgives  me.  Let  us  ring  the 
bell." 

The  bell  had  a  potent  note;  and  being  swung  under 
the  arch  it  filled  the  house  from  top  to  bottom  with 
surly,  clanging  reverberations.  The  sound  accentuated 
the  conventual  appearance  of  the  building;  a  wintry 
sentiment,  a  thought  of  prayer  and  mortification,  took 
hold  upon  Elvira's  mind;  and  as  for  Leon,  he  seemed 
to  be  reading  the  stage  directions  for  a  lugubrious 
fifth  act. 

"  This  is  your  fault,"  said  Elvira  :  "  this  is  what 
comes  of  fancying  things  !  " 

Again  Leon  pulled  the  bell-rope;  again  the  solemn 
tocsin  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  inn;  and  ere  they  had 
died  away,  a  light  glimmered  in  the  carriage  entrance, 
and  a  powerful  voice  was  heard  upraised  and  tremulous 
with  wrath. 

"  What's  all  this  ?"  cried  the  tragic  host  through  the 
spars  of  the  gate.  "  Hard  upon  twelve,  and  you  come 
clamoring  like  Prussians  at  the  door  of  a  respectable 
hotel  ?  Oh  !  "  he  cried,  "  I  know  you  now  !  Common 
singers  !  People  in  trouble  with  the  police  !  And  you 
present  yourselves  at  midnight  like  lords  and  ladies  ? 
Be  off  with  you  !  " 

"  You  will  permit  me  to  remind  you,"  said  Leon,  in 
thrilling  tones,  "  that  I  am  a  guest  in  your  house,  that 
I    am    properly  inscribed,  and   that    I    have  deposited 
baggage  to  the  value  of  four  hundred  francs." 
308 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  309 

"You  cannot  get  in  at  this  hour,"  returned  the  man. 
"  This  is  no  thieves'  tavern,  for  mohocks  and  night 
rakes  and  organ-grinders." 

"  Brute  ! "  cried  Elvira,  for  the  organ-grinders 
touched  her  home. 

"  Then  I  demand  my  baggage,"  said  Leon,  with  una- 
bated dignity. 

"  I  know  nothing  of  your  baggage,"  replied  th? 
landlord. 

"  You  detain  my  baggage  ?  You  dare  to  detain  my 
baggage  ?  "  cried  the  singer. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  returned  the  landlord.  "  It  is 
dark — I  cannot  recognize  you." 

"  Very  well,  then — you  detain  my  baggage,"  con- 
cluded Leon.  "  You  shall  smart  for  this.  1  will  weary 
out  your  life  with  persecutions;  I  will  drag  you  from 
court  to  court;  if  there  is  justice  to  be  had  in  France, 
it  shall  be  rendered  between  you  and  me.  And  I  will 
make  you  a  by-word — I  will  put  you  in  a  song — a 
scurrilous  song — an  indecent  song — a  popular  song — 
which  the  boys  shall  sing  to  you  in  the  street,  and  come 
and  howl  through  these  spars  at  midnight  !  " 

He  had  gone  on  raising  his  voice  at  every  phrase,  for 
all  the  while  the  landlord  was  very  placidly  retiring  ; 
and  now,  when  the  last  glimmer  of  light  had  vanished 
from  the  arch,  and  the  last  footstep  died  away  in  the 
interior,  L6on  turned  to  his  wife  with  a  heroic  coun- 
tenance. 

"  Elvira,"  said  he,  "  I  have  now  a  duty  in  life.  I 
shall  destroy  that  man  as  Eugene  Sue  destroyed  the 
concierge.  Let  us  come  at  once  to  the  Gendarmerie 
and  begin  our  vengeance." 

He  picked  up  the  guitar-case,  which  had  been 
propped  against  the  wall,  and  they  set  forth  through 
the  silent  and  ill-lighted  town  with  burning  hearts. 

The  Gendarmerie  was  concealed  beside  the  telegraph 
office  at  the  bottom  of  a  vast  court,  which  was  partly 
laid  out  in  gardens;  and  here  all  the  shepherds  of  the 
public  lay  locked  in  grateful  sleep.     It  took  a  deal  oi 


310  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

knocking  to  waken  one;  and  he,  when  he  came  at  last 

to    the   door,  could    find    no  other  remark  but  that  "  it 

none  of  his  business."     L£on  reasoned  with  him, 

threatened  him,  besought  him;  "  here,"  he  said,  "  was 

Mad. une  berthelini  in  evening  dress — a  delicate  woman 
— in  an  interesting  condition" — the  last  was  thrown  in, 
I  fancy,  for  effect;  and  to  all  this  the  man-at-arms 
made  the  same  answer  : 

"  It  is  none  of  my  business,"  said  he. 

"  Wry  well,"  said  Leon,  "  then  we  shall  go  to  the 
Commissary."  Thither  they  went  ;  the  office  was 
closed  and  dark;  but  the  house  was  close  by,  and  Leon 
was  soon  swinging  the  bell  like  a  madman.  The  Com- 
missary's wife  appeared  at  a  window.  She  was  a  thread- 
paper  creature,  and  informed  them  that  the  Commissary 
had  not  yet  come  home. 

"  Is  he  at  the  Maire's  ?"  demanded  Leon. 

She  thought  that  was  not  unlikely. 

"  Where  is  the  Maire's  house  ? "  he  asked. 

And  she  gave  him  some  rather  vague  information  on 
that  point. 

"Stay  you  here,  Elvira,"  said  Leon,  "lest  I  should 
miss  him  by  the  way.  If,  when  I  return,  I  find  you 
here  no  longer,  I  shall  follow  at  once  to  the  Black 
Head." 

And  he  set  out  to  find  the  Maire's.  It  took  him 
some  ten  minutes  wandering  among  blind  lanes,  and 
when  he  arrived  it  was  already  half  an  hour  past  mid- 
night. A  long  white  garden  wall  overhung  by  some 
thick  chestnuts,  a  door  with  a  letter-box,  and  an  iron 
bell-pull,  that  was  all  that  could  be  seen  of  the  Maire's 
domicile.  L£on  took  the  bell-pull  in  both  hands,  and 
danced  furiously  upon  the  side-walk.  The  bell  itself 
was  just  upon  the  other  side  of  the  wall,  it  responded 
to  his  activity,  and  scattered  an  alarming  clangor  far 
and  wide  into  the  night. 

A  window  was  thrown  open  in  a  house  across  the 
street,  and  a  voice  inquired  the  cause  of  this  untimely 
uproar. 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  31 1 

"  1  wish  the  Maire,"  said  Leon. 

"  He  has  been  in  bed  this  hour,"  returned  the  voice. 

"  He  must  get  up  again,"  retorted  Leon,  and  he  was 
for  tackling  the  bell-pull  once  more. 

"  You  will  never  make  him  hear,"  responded  the 
voice.  "  The  garden  is  of  great  extent,  the  house  is  at 
the  farther  end,  and  both  the  Maire  and  his  housekeeper 
are  deaf." 

"  Aha  !  "  said  Leon,  pausing.  "  The  Maire  is  deaf, 
is  he?  That  explains."  And  he  thought  of  the  even- 
ing's concert  with  a  momentary  feeling  of  relief. 
"Ah  !  "  he  continued,  "and  so  the  Maire  is  deaf,  and 
the  garden  vast,  and  the  house  at  the  far  end  ?  " 

"And  you  might  ring  all  night,"  added  the  voice, 
"  and  be  none  the  better  for  it.  You  would  only  keep 
me  awake." 

"  Thank  you,  neighbor,"  replied  the  singer.  "  You 
shall  sleep." 

And  he  made  off  again  at  his  best  pace  for  the  Com- 
missary's. Elvira  was  still  walking  to  and  fro  before 
the  door. 

"  He  has  not  come  ? "  asked  Leon. 

"  Not  he,"  she  replied. 

"  Good,"  returned  Leon.  "  I  am  sure  our  man's 
inside.  Let  me  see  the  guitar-case.  I  shall  lay  this 
siege  in  form,  Elvira;  I  am  angry;  I  am  indignant;  I 
am  truculently  inclined;  but  I  thank  my  Maker  I  have 
still  a  sense  of  fun.  The  unjust  judge  shall  be  impor- 
tuned in  a  serenade, Elvira.  Set  him  up— and  set  him  up." 

He  had  the  case  opened  by  this  time,  struck  a  few 
chords,  and  fell  into  an  attitude  which  was  irresistibly 
Spanish. 

"  Now,"  he  continued,  "  feel  your  voice.  Are  you 
ready  ?     Follow  me  !  " 

The  guitar  twanged,  and  the  two  voices  upraised,  in 
harmony  and  with  a  startling  loudness,  the  chorus  of  a 
song  of  old  Beranger's: — 

"  Commissairc  !  Commissaire  ! 
Colin  bat  sa  menagerc." 


313  N£  W  ARAB 1. IX  A  hi l ITS. 

The  ston<  i  of  Castel-le-Ga<  his  thrilled  at  this  auda- 
cious innovation.     Hitherto  had  the  night  been  sacred 

to  repose  and  nightcaps;  and  now  what  was  this? 
Window  after  window  was  opened;  matches  scratched, 
and  candles  began  to  flicker;  swollen  sleepy  faces 
peered  forth  into  the  starlight.  There  were  two 
figures  I  afore  the  Commissary's  house,  each  bolt 
upright,  with  head  thrown  back  and  eyes  interrogating 
the  starry  heavens;  the  guitar  wailed,  shouted,  and 
reverberated  like  half  an  orchestra;  and  the  voices, 
with  a  crisp  and  spirited  delivery,  hurled  the  appro- 
priate burden  at  the  Commissary's  window.  All  the 
echoes  repeated  the  functionary's  name.  It  was'more 
like  an  entr'acte  in  a  farce  of  Moliere's  than  a  passage 
of  real  life  in  Castelde-Gdchis. 

The  Commissary,  if  he  was  not  the  first,  was  Mot 
the  last  of  the  neighbors  to  yield  to  the  influence  of 
music,  and  furiously  throw  open  the  window  of  his 
bedroom.  He  was  beside  himself  with  rage.  He 
leaned  far  over  the  window-sill,  raving  and  gesticu- 
lating ;  the  tassel  of  his  white  night-cap  danced  like  a 
thing  of  life:  he  opened  his  mouth  to  dimensions 
hitherto  unprecedented,  and  yet  his  voice,  instead  of 
escaping  from  it  in  a  roar,  came  fortli  shrill  and  choked 
and  tottering.  A  little  more  serenading,  and  it  was 
clear  he  would  be  better  acquainted  with  the  apo- 
plexy. 

1  <  orn  to  reproduce  his  language;  he  touched  upon 
too  many  serious  topics  by  the  way  for  a  quiet  story- 
teller. Although  he  was  known  for  a  man  who  was 
prompt  with  his  tongue,  and  had  a  power  of  strong 
expression  at  command,  he  excelled  himself  so  remark- 
ably this  night, that  one  maiden  lady,  who  had  got  out 
of  bed  like  the  re.^t  to  hear  the  serenade,  was  obliged 
to  shut  her  window  at  the  second  clause.  Even  what 
she  had  heard  disquieted  her  conscience;  and  next  day 
she  said  she  scarcely  reckoned  as  a  maiden  lady  any 
longer. 

Leon    tried    to    explain    his    predicament,  but  he 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  313 

received  nothing  but  threats  of  arrest  by  way  of 
answer. 

"  If  I  come  down  to  you  !  "    cried  the  Commissary. 

"Aye,"  said  Leon,  "do!" 

"  I  will  not  !  "  cried  the  Commissary. 

"You  dare  not !  "  answered  Leon. 

At  that  the  Commissary  closed  his  window. 

"All  is  over,"  said  the  singer.  "The  serenade  was 
perhaps  ill-judged.  These  boors  have  no  sense  of 
humor." 

"  Let  us  get  away  from  here,"  said  Elvira,  with  a 
shiver.  "All  these  people  looking — it  is  so  rude  and 
so  brutal."  And  then  giving  way  once  more  to  passion 
— "Brutes  !"  she  cried  aloud  to  the  candle-lit  specta- 
tors— "brutes!  brutes!  brutes." 

"Sauve  cpii  peut,"  said  Leon.  "You  have  done  u 
now  ! " 

And  taking  the  guitar  in  one  hand  and  the  case  in 
the  other,  he  led  the  way  witli  something  too  precipi- 
tate to  be  merely  called  precipitation  from  the  scene 
of  this  absurd  adventure 


CHAPTER  IV. 

To  the  west  of  Castel-le-Gachis  four  rows -of  vener- 
able lime-trees  formed,  in  this  starry  night,  a  twilit 
avenue  with  two  side  aisles  of  pitch  darkness.  Here 
and  there  stone  benches  were  disposed  between  the 
trunks.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind  ;  a  heavy 
atmosphere  of  perfume  hung  about  the  alleys  ;  and 
every  leaf  stood  stock-still  upon  its  twig.  Hither, 
after  vainly  knocking  at  an  inn  or  two,  the  Berthelinis 
came  at  length  to  pass  the  night.  After  an  amiable 
contention,  Leon  insisted  on  giving  his  coat  to  Elvira, 
and  they  sat  down  together  on  the  first  bench  in 
silence.  Leon  made  a  cigarette,  which  he  smoked  to 
an  end,  looking  up  into  the  trees,  and,  beyond  them, 
at  the  constellations,  of  which  he  tried  vainly  to  recall 
the  names.  The  silence  was  broken  by  the  church 
bell  ;  it  rang  the  four  quarters  on  a  light  and  tinkling 
measure  ;  then  followed  a  single  deep  stroke  that  died 
slowly  away  with  a  thrill ;  and  stillness  resumed  its 
empire. 

"  One,"  said  Leon.  "  Four  hours  till  daylight.  It 
is  warm  ;  it  is  starry;  I  have  matches  and  tobacco. 
Do  not  let  us  exaggerate,  Elvira — the  experience  is 
positively  charming.  I  feel  a  glow  within  me  ;  I  am 
born  again.  This  is  the  poetry  of  life.  Think  of 
Cooper's  novels,  my  dear." 

"  Leon,"  she  said,  fiercely,  "  how  can  you  talk  such 
wicked,  infamous  nonsense  ?  To  pass  all  night  out  of 
doors — it  is  like  a  nightmare  !     We  shall  die." 

"  You  suffer  yourself  to  be  led  away,"  he  replied, 
soothingly.  "It  is  not  unpleasant  here;  only  you 
brood.  Come,  now,  let  us  repeat  a  scene.  Shall  we  try 
Alcestc  and  Celiinene  ?  No?  Or  a  passage  from  the 
'Two  Orphans?'  Come,  now,  it  will  occupy  your 
314 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR,  315 

mind  ;  I  will  play  up  to  you  as  I  never  have  played 
before  ;  I  feel  art  moving  in  my  bones." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  she  cried,  "or  you  will  drive 
me  mad  !  Will  nothing  solemnize  you — not  even  this 
hideous  situation?" 

"Oh,  hideous  !  "  objected  Leon.  "  Hideous  is  not 
the  word.  Why,  where  would  you  be  ?  '  Dites,  la 
jeune  belle,  011  voulez-vouz  aller  ? '  "  he  carolled. 
'Well,  now,"  he  went  on,  opening  the  guitar-case, 
"  there's  another  idea  for  you — sing.  Sing  '  Dites,  la 
jeune  belle  !  '  It  will  compose  your  spirits,  Elvira,  I 
am  sure." 

And  without  waiting  an  answer  he  began  to  strum 
the  symphony.  The  first  chords  awoke  a  young  man 
who  was  lying  asleep  upon  a  neighbouring  bench. 

"  Hullo  !  "  cried  the  young  man,  "  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  Under  which  king,  Bezonian  ?  "  declaimed  the 
artist.     "  Speak  or  die  !  " 

Or  if  it  was  not  exactly  that,  it  was  something  to 
much  the  same  purpose  from  a  French  tragedy. 

The  young  man  drew  near  in  the  twilight.  He  was 
a  tall,  powerful,  gentlemanly  fellow,  with  a  somewhat 
puffy  face,  dressed  in  a  gray  tweed  suit,  with  a  deer- 
stalker hat  of  the  same  material ;  and  as  he  now  came 
forward  he  carried  a  knapsack  slung  upon  one  arm. 

"Are  you  camping  out  here,  too  ?  "  he  asked,  with  a 
strong  English  accent.  "I'm  not  sorry  for  com- 
pany." 

Leon  explained  their  misadventure  ;  and  the  other 
told  them  that  he  was  a  Cambridge  undergraduate  on  a 
walking  tour,  that  he  had  run  short  of  money,  could 
no  longer  pay  for  his  night's  lodging,  had  already  been 
camping  out  for  two  nights,  and  feared  he  should 
require  to  continue  the  same  manoeuvre  for  at  least 
two  nights  more. 

"  Luckily,  it's  jolly  weather,"  he  concluded. 

"You  hear  that,  Elvira,"  said  Leon.  "Madame 
Berthelini,"  he  went  on,  "  is  ridiculously  affected  by 
this  trifling  occurrence.     For  my  part,  I  find  it  roman- 


3 16  ."  ARABIAN  NIGHTS, 

tic  and  far  from  uncomfortable;  or  at  least,"  he 
added,  shifting  un  the  stone  bench,  "  not  quite  so 
uncomfortable  as  might  have  been  expo  ted.  But 
pray  be  seated." 

'  Y<  ,"  returned  the  undergraduate,  sitting  down, 
"  it's  rather  nice  than  otherwise  when  once  you're  used 
to  it  ;  only  it's  devilish  difficult  to  get  washed.  1  like 
the  fresh  air  and  these  stars  and  things." 

''Aha  !  "  said  Leon,  ''  Monsieur  is  an  artist." 

'\\n  artist?"  returned  the  other,  with  a  blank  stare. 
"  Not  if  1  know  it  1  " 

"Pardon  me,"  said  the  actor.  "What  you  said  this 
moment  about  the  orbs  of  heaven " 

"  Oh,  nonsense  !  "  cried  the  Englishman.  "A  fellow 
may  admire  the  stars  and  be  anything  he  likes." 

You  have  an   artist's  nature,  however,  Mr. I 

beg  your  pardon  ;  may  I,  without  indiscretion,  inquire 
your  name  ?  "  asked  Leon. 

"  My  name  is  Stubbs,"  replied  the  Englishman. 

"  I  thank  you,*'  returned  Leon.  "  Mine  is  Berthe- 
lini — Leon  Berthelini,  ex-artist  of  the  theatres  of  Mont- 
rouge,  Belleville,  and  Montmartre.  Humble  as  you 
see  me,  I  have  created  with  applause  more  than  one 
important  role.  The  Press  were  unanimous  in  praise 
of  my  Howling  Devil  of  the  Mountains,  in  the  piece 
of  the  same  name.  Madame,  whom  I  now  present  to 
you,  is  herself  an  artist,  and  1  must  not  omit  to  state, 
a  better  artist  than  her  husband.  She  also  is  a  crea- 
tor ;  she  created  nearly  twenty  successful  songs  at  one 
of  the  principal  Parisian  music-halls.  But,  to  con- 
tinue, I  was  saying  you  had  an  artist's  nature,  Mon- 
sieur Stubbs,  and  you  must  permit  me  to  be  a  judge  in 
such  a  question.  I  trust  you  will  not  falsify  your 
instincts  ;  let  me  beseech  you  to  follow  the  career  of 
an  artist." 

"Thank  you,"  returned  Stubbs,  with  a  chuckle. 
"  I'm  going  to  be  a  banker." 

"  No,"  said  Leon,  "  do  not  say  so.  Not  that.  A  man 
with  such  a  nature  as  yours  should  not  derogate  so  far. 


PROVIDENCE  AND   THE  GUITAR.  317 

What  are  a  few  privations  here  and   there,  so  long  as 
you  are  working  for  a  high  and  noble  goal  ?  " 

"This  fellows  mad,"  thought  Stubbs;  "but  the 
woman's  rather  pretty,  and  he's  not  bad  fun  for 
himself,  if  you  come  to  that.  What  he  said  was  different. 
"  I  thought  ynu  said  you  were  an  actor  ? " 

44 1  certainly  did  so,"  replied  Leon,  "I  am  one,  or, 
alas  !  I  was." 

"  And  so  you  want  me  to  be  an  actor,  do  you  ?  " 
continued  the  undergraduate.  "  Why,  man,  I  could 
never  so  much  as  learn  the  stuff  ;  my  memory's  like  a 
sieve  ;  and  as  for  acting,  I've  no  more  idea  than  a  cat." 

"  The  stage  is  not  the  only  course,"  said  Leon.  "  Be 

a  sculptor,  be  a  dancer,  be  a  poet  or  a  novelist ;  follow 

vour  heart,  in  short,  and  do  some  thorough  work  before 

you  die." 

"  And  do  you  call  these  things  art  ?  "  inquired  Stubbs. 

"  Why,  certainly  !  "  returned  Leon.  "  Are  they  not 
all  branches  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  I  didn't  know,"  replied  the  Englishman.  "  I 
thought  an  artist  meant  a  fellow  who  painted." 

The  singer  stared  at  him  in  some  surprise. 

"  It  is  the  difference  of  language,"  he  said  at  last. 
*'  This  Tower  of  Babel, when  shall  we  have  paid  for  it?  If 
I  could  speak  English  you  would  follow  me  more  readily." 

"  Between  you  and  me,  I  don't  believe  I  should," 
replied  the  other.  "  You  seem  to  have  thought  a  devil 
of  a  lot  about  this  business.  For  my  part,  I  admire  the 
stars,  and  like  to  have  them  shining — it's  so  cheery — ■ 
but  hang  me  if  I  had  an  idea  it  had  anything  to  do  with 
art  !  It's  not  in  my  line,  you  see.  I'm  not  intellec- 
tual ;  I  have  no  end  of  trouble  to  scrape  through  my 
exams.,  I  can  tell  you  !  But  I'm  not  a  bad  sort  at 
bottom,"  he  added,  seeing  his  interlocutor  looked  dis- 
tressed even  in  the  dim  starshine,  "  and  I  rather  like 
the  play,   and  music,  and  guitars,  and  things." 

Leon  had  a  perception  that  the  understanding  was 
incomplete.     He  changed  the  subject. 

"  And  so  you  travel  on  foot  ?  "  he  continued.  "  How 


3i S  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

romantic  '     How    courageous  !     And    how    are   you 
pleased  with  my  land?     How  does  the  scenery  affect 

you  among  these  wild  hills  of  ours  f" 

u  Well,  the  fact  is,"  began  Stubbs — he  was  about  to 
say  that  he  didn't  care  for  scenery,  which  was  not  at 
all  true,  being,  on  the  contrary,  only  an  athletic  under- 
graduate pretension  ;  but  he  had  begun  to  suspect  that 
Berthelini  liked  a  different  sort  of  meat,  and  substituted 
something  else — "The  fact  is,  I  think  it  jolly.  They 
told  me  it  was  no  good  up  here  ;  even  the  guide-book 
said  so  ;  but  I  don't  know  what  they  meant.  I  think 
it  is  deuced  pretty — upon  my  word,  I  do." 

At  this  moment,  in  the  most  unexpected  manner, 
Elvira  burst  into  tears. 

"My  voice  !"  she  cried.  "Leon,  if  I  stay  here 
longer  I  shall  lose  my  voice  !  " 

You  shall  not  stay  another  moment,  "  cried  the 
actor.  "  If  I  have  to  beat  in  a  door,  if  I  have  to  burn 
the  town,  I  shall  find  you  shelter." 

With  that,  he  replaced  the  guitar,  and  comforting 
her  with  some  caresses,  drew  her  arm  through  his. 

"  Monsieur  Stubbs,"  said  he,  taking  off  his  hat,  "  the 
reception  I  offer  you  is  rather  problematical ;  but  let 
me  beseech  you  to  give  us  the  pleasure  of  your  society. 
You  are  a  little  embarrassed  for  the  moment ;  you 
must,  indeed,  permit  me  to  advance  what  may  be  neces- 
sary. I  ask  it  as  a  favor  ;  we  must  not  part  so  soon 
after  having  met  so  strangely." 

"  Oh,  come,  you  know,"  said  Stubbs,  "  I  can't  let  a 

fellow    like   you "  And    there   he   paused,  feeling 

somehow  or  other  on  a  wrong  tack. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  employ  menaces,"  continued  Leon, 
with  a  smile  ;  "  but  if  you  refuse,  indeed  I  shall  not 
take  it  kindly." 

"  I  don't  quite  see  my  way  out  of  it,"  thought  the 
undergraduate  ;  and  then,  after  a  pause,  he  said,  aloud 
and  ungraciously  enough,  "  All  right.  I — I'm  very 
much  obliged,  of  course."  And  he  proceeded  to  follow 
them,  thinking  in  his  heart,  "  But  it's  bad  form,  all  the 
same,  to  force  an  oblisiation  on  a  fellow." 


CHAPTER  V. 

Leon  strode  ahead  as  if  he  knew  exactly  where  he 
was  going;  the  sobs  of  Madame  were  still  faintly  audi- 
ble, and  no  one  uttered  a  word.  A  dog  barked  furi- 
ously in  a  court-yard  as  they  went  by;  then  the  church 
clock  struck  two,  and  many  domestic  clocks  followed 
or  preceded  it  in  piping  tones.  And  just  then  Berthe- 
lini  spied  a  light.  It  burned  in  a  small  house  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  and  thither  the  party  now 
directed  their  steps. 

"It  is  always  a  chance,"  said  Leon. 

The  house  in  question  stood  back  from  the  street 
behind  an  open  space,  part  garden,  part  turnip  field; 
and  several  outhouses  stood  forward  from  either  wing 
at  right  angles  to  the  front.  One  of  these  had  recently 
undergone  some  change.  An  enormous  window,  look- 
ing towards  the  north,  had  been  effected  in  the  wall 
and  roof,  and  Leon  began  to  hope  it  was  a  studio. 

"  If  it's  only  a  painter,"  he  said,  with  a  chuckle, 
"ten  to  one  we  get  as  good  a  welcome  as  we  want." 

"  I  thought  painters  were  principally  poor,"  said 
Stubbs. 

"  Ah,"  cried  Leon,  '*  you  do  not  know  the  world  as 
I  do.     The  poorer  the  better  for  us." 

And  the  trio  advanced  into  the  turnip  field. 

The  light  was  in  the  ground  floor;  as  one  window 
was  brightly  illuminated  and  two  others  more  faintly, 
it  might  be  supposed  that  there  was  a  single  lamp  in 
one  corner  of  a  large  apartment;  and  a  certain  tremu- 
lousness  and  temporary  dwindling  showed  that  a  live 
fire  contributed  to  the  effect.  The  sound  of  a  voice 
now  became  audible  ;  and  the  trespassers  paused  to 
listen.  It  was  pitched  in  a  high,  angry  key,  but  had 
still  a  good,  full,  and  masculine  note  in  it.  The  utter- 
3*9 


3^0  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

ance  was  voluble,  too  voluble  even  to  be  quite  distinct; 
a  stream  of  words,  rising  and  falling,  with  ever  and 
again  a  phrase  thrown  out  by  itself,  as  if  the  speaker 
;        med  on  its  virtue. 

Idenly  another  voice  joined  in.  This  time  it  was 
a  woman's;  and  if  the  man  were  angry,  the  woman  was 
incensed  to  the  degree  of  fury.  There  was  that  abso- 
lutely blank  composure  known  to  suffering  males;  that 
colorless  unnatural  speech  which  shows  a  spirit  accu- 
rately balanced  between  homicide  and  hysterics;  the 
tone  in  which  the  best  of  women  sometimes  utter  words 
than  death  to  those  most  dear  to  them.  If 
ract  Bones-and-Sepulchre  were  to  be  endowed  with 
the  gift  of  speech,  thus,  and  not  otherwise,  would  it 
discourse.  Leon  was  a  brave  man,  and  I  fear  he  was 
somewhat  sceptically  given  (he  had  been  educated  in  a 
Papistical  country),  but  the  habit  of  childhood  pre- 
vailed, and  he  crossed  himself  devoutly.  He  had  met 
several  women  in  his  career.  It  was  obvious  that  his 
instinct  had  not  deceived  him,  for  the  male  voice  broke 
forth  instantly  in  a  towering  passion. 

The  undergraduate,  who  had  not  understood  the 
significance  of  the  woman's  contribution,  pricked  up 
his  ears  at  the  change  upon  the  man. 

"There's  going  to  be  a  free  fight,"  he  opined. 

There  was  another  retort  from  the  woman,  still  calm 
but  a  little  higher. 

"  Hysterics  ? "  asked  Leon  of  his  wife.  "  Is  that  the 
stage  direction  ?" 

"  How  should  I  know  ?"  returned  Elvira,  somewhat 
tartly. 

"Oh,  woman,  woman!"  said  Leon,  beginning  to 
open  the  guitar-case.  "  It  is  one  of  the  burdens  of  my 
life,  Monsieur  Stubbs;  they  support  each  other;  they 
always  pretend  there  is  no  system  ;  they  say  it's 
nature.  Even  Madame  Berthelini,  who  is  a  dramatic 
artist!  " 

"  You  are  heartless,  Leon,"  said  Elvira :  "  that 
woman  is  in  trouble." 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  32* 

"  And  the  man,  my  angel  ?  "  inquired  Berthelini, 
passing  the  ribbon  of  his  guitar.  "And  the  man, 
m 'amour  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  man,"  she  answered. 

"You  hear  that  ? "  said  Leon  to  Stubbs.  "  It  is  not 
too  late  for  you.  Mark  the  intonation.  And  now," 
lie  continued,  "  what  are  we  to  give  them  ?  " 

"  Are  you  going  to  sing  ?  "  asked  Stubbs. 

"  I  am  a  troubadour,"  replied  Leon.  "  I  claim  a 
welcome  by  and  for  my  art.  If  I  were  a  banker  could 
I  do  as  much  ? " 

"  Well,  you  wouldn't  need,  you  know,"  aswered  the 
undergraduate. 

"  Egad,"  said  Leon,  "  but  that's  true.  Elvira,  that 
is  true." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  she  replied.  "  Did  you  not  know 
it  ? " 

"My  dear,"  answered  Leon,  impressively,  "I  know 
nothing  but  what  is  agreeable.  Even  my  knowledge 
of  life  is  a  work  of  art  superiorly  composed.  But 
what  are  we  to  give  them  ?  It  should  be  something 
appropriate." 

Visions  of  "  Let  dogs  delight "  passed  through  the 
undergraduate's  mind;  but  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 
poetry  was  English  and  that  he  did  not  know  the  air. 
Hence  he  contributed  no  suggestion. 

"  Something  about  our  houselessness,"  said   Elvira. 

"  I  have  it,"  cried  Leon.  And  he  broke  forth  into 
a  song  of  Pierre  Dupont's: — 

Savez-vous  011  gite 
Mai,  ce  joli  mois  ? 

Elvira  joined  in;  so  did  Stubbs,  with  a  good  ear 
and  voice,  but  an  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the 
music.  Leon  and  the  guitar  were  equal  to  the  situa- 
tion. The  actor  dispensed  his  throat-notes  with  prod- 
igality and  enthusiasm;  and,  as  he  looked  up  to  heaven 
in  his  heroic  way,  tossing  the  black  ringlets,  it  seemed 
to  him  that  the  very  stars  contributed  a  dumb  applause 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

to  his  efforts,  and  the  universe  lent  him  its  silence  foi 
a  chorus.  That  is  one  of  the  best  features  of  tho 
heavenly  bodies,  that  they  belong  to  everybody  in  par- 
ticular; and  a   man   like    I. eon,  a  chronic  Endymion 

who  managed  to  get  along  without  encouragement, 
is  always  the  world's  centre  for  himself. 

He  alone — and  it  is  to  be  noted,  he  was  the  worst 
singer  of  the  three — took  the  music  seriously  to  heart, 
and  judged  the  serenade  from  a  high  artistic  point  of 
view.  Elvira,  on  the  other  hand,  was  preoccupied 
about  their  reception;  and,  as  for  Stubbs,  he  consid- 
ered the  whole  affair  in  the  light  of  a  broad  joke. 

"Know  you  the  lair  of  May,  the  lovely  month?" 
went  the  three  voices  in  the  turnip-field. 

The  inhabitants  were  plainly  fluttered;  the  light 
moved  to  and  fro,  strengthening  in  one  window, 
paling  in  another;  and  then  the  door  was  thrown  open, 
and  a  man  in  a  blouse  appeared  on  the  threshold  car- 
rying a  lamp.  He  was  a  powerful  young  fellow,  with 
bewildered  hair  and  beard,  wearing  his  neck  open;  his 
blouse  was  stained  with  oil-colors  in  a  harlequinesque 
disorder;  and  there  was  something  rural  in  the  droop 
and  bagginess  of  his  belted  trousers. 

From  immediately  behind  him,  and  indeed  over  his 
shoulder,  a  woman's  face  looked  out  into  the  darkness; 
it  was  pale  and  a  little  weary,  although  still  young;  it 
wore  a  dwindling,  disappearing  prettiness,  soon  to  be 
quite  gone,  and  the  expression  was  both  gentle  and 
sour,  and  reminded  one  faintly  of  the. taste  of  certain 
drugs.  For  all  that,  it  was  not  a  face  to  dislike;  when 
the  prettiness  had  vanished,  it  seemed  as  if  a  certain 
pale  beauty  might  step  in  to  take  its  place;  and  as 
both  the  mildness  and  the  asperity  were  characters  of 
youth,  it  might  be  hoped  that,  with  years,  both  would 
merge  into  a  constant,  brave,  and  not  unkindly  temper 

"  What  is  all  this  ?  "  cried  the  man. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Leon  had  his  hat  in  his  hand  at  once.  He  came  for* 
ward  with  his  customary  grace;  it  was  a  moment  which 
would  have  earned  him  a  round  of  cheering  on  the 
stage.  Elvira  and  Stubbs  advanced  behind  him,  like  a 
couple  of  Admetus's  sheep  following  the  god  Apollo. 

"  Sir,"  said  Leon,  "  the  hour  is  unpardonably  late, 
and  our  little  serenade  has  the  air  of  an  impertinence. 
Believe  me,  sir,  it  is  an  appeal.  Monsieur  is  an  artist, 
I  perceive.  We  are  here  three  artists  benighted  and 
without  shelter,  one  a  woman — a  delicate  woman — in 
evening  dress — in  an  interesting  situation.  This  will 
not  fail  to  touch  the  woman's  heart  of  Madame,  whom 
I  perceive  indistinctly  behind  Monsieur  her  husband, 
and  whose  face  speaks  eloquently  of  a  well-regulated 
mind.  Ah  !  Monsieur,  Madame — one  generous  move- 
ment, and  you  make  three  people  happy  !  Two  or 
three  hours  beside  your  fire — I  ask  it  of  Monsieur  in 
the  name  of  Art — I  ask  it  of  Madame  by  the  sanctity 
of  womanhood." 

The  two,  as  by  a  tacit  consent,  drew  back  from  the 
door. 

"  Come  in,"  said  the  man. 

"  Entrez,  Madame,"  said  the  woman. 

The  door  opened  directly  upon  the  kitchen  of  the 
house,  which  was  to  all  appearance  the  only  sitting- 
room.  The  furniture  was  both  plain  and  scanty;  but 
there  were  one  or  two  landscapes  on  the  wall  hand- 
somely framed,  as  if  they  had  already  visited  the 
committee-rooms  of  an  exhibition  and  been  thence 
extruded.  Leon  walked  up  to  the  pictures  and  repre- 
sented the  part  of  a  connoisseur  before  each  in  turn, 
with  his  usual  dramatic  insight  and  force.  The  mas- 
ter of  the  house,  as  if  irresistibly  attracted,  followed 
323 


;;    ARABIAN    ' 

him  from  cam  nvas  with  the  lamp.     Elvira  was 

led  directly  to  the  fire,  where  she  proceeded  to  warm 
herself,  while  Stubbs  stood  in  ihe  middle  of  the  flooi 
and  followed  the  proceedings  ol  Leon  with  mild  aston- 
ishment in  hi 

■•  Ybu  shi  aid  see  them  by  daylight,"  said  the  artist. 

"I  promise  myself  that  pleasure,"  said  Leon.  "You 
;  ir,  if  you  will  permit  me  an  observation,  the 

art  of  composition  to  a  T." 

"  You  arc  very  good,"  returned  the  other.  "  But 
should  you  not  draw  nearer  to  the  fire  ?" 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  said  Leon. 

And  the  whole  party  soon  gathered  at  the  table  over 
a  hasty  and  not  an  elegant  cold  supper,  washed  down 
with  tiie  least  of  small  wines.  Nobody  liked  the  meal, 
but  nobody  complained;  they  put  a  good  face  upon  it, 
one  and  all,  and  made  a  great  clattering  of  knives  and 
forks.  To  see  Leon  eating  a  single  cold  sausage  was 
to  see  a  triumph;  by  the  time  he  had  done  he  had 
got  through  as  much  pantomime  as  would  have  sufficed 
for  a  baron  of  beef,  and  he  had  the  relaxed  expression 
of  the  over-eaten. 

As  Elvira  had  naturally  taken  a  place  by  the  side  of 
Leon,  and  Stubbs  as  naturally,  although  I  believe 
unconsciously,  by  the  side  of  Elvira,  the  host  and 
hostess  were  left  together.  Yet  it  was  to  be  noted 
that  they  never  addressed  a  word  to  each  other,  nor 
so  much  as  suffered  their  eyes  to  meet.  The  inter- 
rupted skirmish  still  survived  in  ill  feeling  ;  and  the 
instant  the  guests  departed  it  would  break  forth  again 
as  bitterly  as  ever.  The  talk  wandered  from  this  to 
that  subject — for  with  one  accord  the  party  had 
declared  it  was  too  late  to  go  to  bed  ;  but  those  two 
never  relaxed  towards  each  other  ;  Goneril  and  Regan 
in  a  sisterly  tiff  were  not  more  bent  on  enmity. 

It  chanced  that  Elvira  was  so  much  tired  by  all  the 
little  excitements  of  the  night,  that  for  once  she  laid 
aside  her  company  manners,  which  were  both  easy 
and  correct,  and  in  the  most  natural   manner  in   the 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  325 

world  leaned  her  head  on  Leon's  shoulder.  At  the 
Sctme  time,  fatigue  suggesting  tenderness,  she  locked 
the  fingers  of  her  right  hand  into  those  of  her  hus- 
band's left ;  and,  half-closing  her  eyes,  dozed  off  into 
a  golden  borderland  between  sleep  and  waking.  But 
ail  the  time  she  was  not  unaware  of  what  was  passing, 
and  saw  the  painter's  wife  studying  her  with  looks 
between  contempt  and  envy. 

it  occurred  to  Leon  that  his  constitution  demanded 
the  use  of  some  tobacco;  and  he  undid  his  fingers 
from  Elvira's  in  order  to  roll  a  cigarette.  It  was  gen- 
tly done,  and  he  took  care  that  his  indulgence  should 
in  no  other  way  disturb  his  wife's  position.  But  it 
seemed  to  catch  the  eye  of  the  painter's  wife  with  a 
special  significancy.  She  looked  straight  before  her 
for  an  instant,  and  then,  with  a  swift  and  stealthy 
movement,  took  hold  of  her  husband's  hand  below  the 
table.  Alas!  she  might  have  spared  herself  the  dex- 
terity. For  the  poor  fellow  was  so  overcome  by  this 
caress  that  he  stopped  with  his  mouth  open  in  the 
middle  of  a  word,  and  by  the  expression  of  his  face 
plainly  declared  to  all  the  company  that  his  thoughts 
had  been  diverted  into  softer  channels. 

If  it  had  not  been  rather  amiable,  it  would  have 
been  absurdly  droll.  His  wife  at  once  withdrew  her 
touch;  but  it  was  plain  she  had  to  exert  some  force. 
Thereupon  the  young  man  colored  and  looked  for  a 
moment  beautiful. 

Leon  and  Elvira  both  observed  the  by-play,  and  a 
shock  passed  from  one  to  the  other;  for  they  were 
inveterate  match-makers,  especially  between  those  who 
were  already  married. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,''  said  Leon,  suddenly.  "  I  see 
no  use  in  pretending.  Before  we  came  in  here  we 
heard  sounds  indicating— if  I  may  so  express  myself — 
an  imperfect  harmony." 

"  Sir "  began  the  man, 

But  the  woman  was  beforehand. 

"  It  is  quite  true, '  she  said.     "  I  see  no  cause  to  be 


;>-•&  NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

ashamed.     If  my  husband  is  mad  I  shall  at  least  do 

my  utmost  to  prevent  the  consequences.     Picture  to 

If,   Monsieur  and   Madame,"  she  went  on,  for 

she  passed  Stubbs  Over,  "  that   this  wretched   person — 

a  dauber,  an  incompetent,  not  fit  to  be  a  sign-painter 
— receives  this  morning  an  admirable  offer  from  an 
uncle — an  uncle  of  my  own,  my  mother's  brother,  and 
tenderly  beloved — of  a  clerkship  with  nearly  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  a  year,  and  that  he — picture  to 
yourself! — he  refuses  it  !  Why?  For  the  sake  of 
Art,  he  says.  Look  at  his  art,  I  say — look  at  it  !  Is 
it  fit  to  be  seen  ?  Ask  him — is  it  fit  to  be  sold  ?  And 
it  is  for  this,  Monsieur  and  Madame,  that  he  con- 
demns me  to  the  most  deplorable  existence,  without 
luxuries,  without  comforts,  in  a  vile  suburb  of  a  coun- 
try town.  O  non!"  she  cried,  "  non — je  ne  me  tairai 
pas — e'est  plus  fort  que  moi  !  I  take  these  gentlemen 
and  this  lady  for  judges — is  this  kind  ?  is  it  decent  ?  is 
it  manly  ?  Do  I  not  deserve  better  at  his  hands  after 
having  married  him  and  " — (a  visible  hitch) — "  done 
everything  in  the  world  to  please  him  ?" 

I  doubt  if  there  were  ever  a  more  embarrassed  com- 
pany :.t  a  table  ;  everyone  looked  like  a  fool  ;  and  the 
husband  like  the  biggest. 

"  The  art  of  Monsieur,  however,"  said  Elvira,  break- 
ing the  silence,  "is  not  wanting  in  distinction." 

"  It  has  this  distinction,"  said  the  wife,  "that  nobody 
will  buy  it." 

"  I   should   have  supposed  a  clerkship "  began 

•bs. 

"  Art  is  Art,"   swept  in  Leon.     "I  salute  Art.      It  is 

beautiful,  the  divine  ;  it  is  the  spirit  of  the  world, 

and  the  pride  of  life.    But "  And  the  actor  paused. 

"  A  clerkship "  began  Stubbs. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  the  painter.  "I  am 
an  artist,  and  as  this  gentleman  says,  Art  is  this  and 
the  other  ;  but  of  course,  if  my  wife  is  going  to  make 
my  life  a  piece  of  perdition  all  day  long,  I  prefer  to  go 
and  drown  myself  out  of  hand." 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR,  327 

"'  Go  !  "  said  his  wife.    "  I  should  like  to  see  you  !  " 

"  I  was  going  to  say,"  resumed  Stubbs,  "  that  a 
fellow  may  be  a  clerk  and  paint  almost  as  much  as  he 
likes.  I  know  a  fellow  in  a  bank  who  makes  capital 
water-color  sketches  ;  he  even  sold  one  for  seven-and- 
six." 

To  both  the  women  this  seemed  a  plank  of  safety  ; 
each  hopefully  interrogated  the  countenance  of  her 
lord  ;  even  Elvira,  an  artist  herself  ! — but  indeed  there 
must  be  something  permanently  mercantile  in  the 
female  nature.  The  two  men  exchanged  a  glance  ;  it 
was  tragic  ;  not  otherwise  might  two  philosophers 
salute,  as  at  the  end  of  a  laborious  life  each  recognized 
that  he  was  still  a  mystery  to  his  disciples. 

Leon  arose. 

"  Art  is  Art,"  he  repeated,  sadly.  "  It  is  not  water- 
color  sketches,  nor  practising  on  a  piano.  It  is  a  life 
to  be  lived." 

"  And  in  the  meantime  people  starve  !"  observed  the 
woman  of  the  house.  "If  that'sa  life,  it  is  not  one  forme." 

"I'll  tell  you  what,"  burst  forth  Leon;  "you 
Madame,  go  into  another  room  and  talk  it  over  with 
my  wife  ;  and  I'll  stay  here  and  talk  it  over  with  your 
husband.     It  may  come  to  nothing,  but  let's  try." 

"  I  am  very  willing,"  replied  the  young  woman  ;  and 
she  proceeded  to  light  a  candle.  "  This  way  if  you 
please."  And  she  led  Elvira  upstairs  into  a  bedroom. 
"  The  fact  is,"  said  she,  sitting  down,  "  that  my  hus- 
band cannot  paint." 

"  No  more  can  mine  act,"  replied  Elvira. 

"  I  should  have  thought  he  could,"  returned  the 
other  ;  "  he  seems  clever." 

"  He  is  so,  and  the  best  of  men  besides,"  said 
Elvira  ;  "  but  he  cannot  act." 

"  At  least  he  is  not  a  sheer  humbug  like  mine  ;  he 
can  at  least  sing." 

"  You  mistake  Leon,"  returned  his  wife,  warmly. 
"  He  does  not  even  pretend  to  sing  ;  he  has  too  fine  a 
taste  ;  he  does  so  for  a  living.  And,  believe  me,  neither 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS. 

of  the  men  arc  humbugs.     They  arc  people  with  a 
mission — which  they  <  annol  (any  out." 

"Humbug  or  not,"  replied  the  other,  "you  came 
verj  near  passing  the  night  in  the  fields;  and,  for  my 
.  !  live  in  terror  of  .starvation.  1  should  think  it 
in.m's  mission  to  think,  twice  about  his  wife.  But 
it  appears  not.  Nothing  is  their  mission  but  to  play 
the  fool.  Oh!"  she  broke  out,  "is  it  not  something 
dreary  to  think  of  that  man  of  mine?  If  he  could 
only  du  it,  who  would  care  ?  but  no — not  he — no  more 
than  I  can  !  " 

"  Have  you  any  children  ?"  asked  Elvira. 

"  No  ;  hut  then  1  may." 

"  Children  change  so  much,"  said  Elvira,  with  a  sigh. 

And  just  then  from  the  room  below  there  flew  up  a 
sudden  snapping  cord  on  the  guitar  ;  one  followed 
alter  another  ;  then  the  voice  of  Leon  joined  in  ;  and 
there  was  an  air  being  played  and  sung  that  stopped 
the  speech  of  the  two  women.  The  wife  of  the 
painter  stood  like  a  person  transfixed  ;  Elvira,  looking 
into  her  eyes,  could  see  all  manner  of  beautiful  mem- 
ories and  kind  thoughts  that  were  passing  in  and  out 
of  her  sord  with  every  note  ;  it  was  a  piece  of  her 
youth  that  went  before  her;  a  green  French  plain,  the 
smell  of  apple-flowers,  the  far  and  shining  ringlets  of 
a  river,  and  the  words  and  presence  of  love. 

"  Leon  has  hit  the  nail,"  thought  Elvira  to  herself, 
"  I  wonder  how." 

The  how  was  plain  enough.  Leon  has  asked  the 
painter  if  there  were  no  air  connected  with  courtship 
and  pleasant  times;  and  having  learned  what  he  wished, 
and  allowed  an  interval  to  pass,  he  had  soared  forth 
into 

O  mon  amante, 
O  mon  desir 
Sachons  cueillir 
L'heure  cliarmante  ! 

"  Pardon  me,  Madame,"  said  the  painter's  wife,  "your 
husband  sings  admirably  web." 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR.  329 

"He  sings  that  with  some  feeling,''  replied  Elvira, 
critically,  although  she  was  a  little  moved  herself,  foi 
the  song  cut  both  ways  in  the  upper  chamber  ;  but  it 
is  as  an  actor  and  not  as  a  musician." 

"  Life  is  very  sad,"  said  the  other  ;  "  it  so  wastes 
away  under  one's  fingers." 

"  I  have  not  found  it  so,  replied  Elvira.  "  I  think 
the  good  parts  of  it  last  and  grow  greater  every  day." 

"  Frankly  how  would  you  advise  me  ? " 

"  Frankly  I  would  let  my  husband  do  what  he 
wished.  He  is  obviously  a  very  loving  painter  ;  you 
have  not  yet  tried  him  as  a  clerk.  And  you  know — if 
it  were  only  as  the  possible  father  of  your  children — it 
is  as  well  to  keep  him  at  his  best." 

"He  is  an  excellent  fellow,"  said  the  wife. 

They  kept  it  up  till  sunrise  with  music  and  all  man- 
ner of  good-fellowship  ;  and  at  sunrise,  while  the  sky 
was  still  temperate  and  clear,  they  separated  on  the 
threshold  with  a  thousand  excellent  wishes  for  each 
other's  welfare.  Castel-le-Gachis  was  beginning  to 
send  up  its  smoke  against  the  golden  East  ;  and  the 
church  bell  was  ringing  six. 

"  My  guitar  is  a  familiar  spirit,"  said  Leon,  as  he 
and  Elvira  took  the  nearest  way  toward  the  inn  ;  "  it 
resuscitated  a  Commissary,  created  an  English  tour- 
ist, and  reconciled  a  man  and  wife." 

Stubbs,  on  his  part,  went  off  into  the  morning  with 
reflections  of  his  own. 

"  They  are  all  mad,"  thought  he,  "  all  mad— but 
wonderfully  decent." 


nit  i  ikk  \m 

I  M\  t  KSM  \   Ol    (    \l  ll-OKM  \ 
Santa  Barbara 


I  MIS  BOOK  IS  1)1  I    ON    I  UK  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


...iiiiiimuiuiii 

3   1205  00237   1894 


A 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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001  417  140 

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